Barely five days after the T20 World Cup, the losing semi-finalists will cross swords in a three-match series, beginning Friday in Wellington. The focus has already shifted to the next edition in 2024 and the process to set a new team in place has to begin now.
For India, the series will be about moving on and picking the right players after another failed World Cup campaign. Stand-in captain Hardik Pandya is widely tipped to be the regular T20 captain and it will be about forging a new-look side since most of the seniors will not make it to the next showpiece event.
Stand-in coach VVS Laxman said the future of India’s T20 cricket lies in specialist players and an aggressive approach. Their line-up and tactics for the first T20I are expected to follow a similar path.
The last time these two sides met in New Zealand, in 2020, India won 5-0. The scoreline, however, is not a reflection of how close the series was with two of the games decided via the Super Over.
VVS Laxman, India’s acting coach. Getty Images
“In T20 cricket, it’s important to be aggressive. We have the guys who have this ability to express themselves. So that’s the message from the captain and myself: be aggressive, but also focus on conditions and situations, and use that experience,” Laxman said on Thursday.
“Yes, our regular top order of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli isn’t here, but the players who have been selected have played a lot of international cricket, especially T20 cricket.”
The Indian team will look completely different from the side that played in the World Cup. The only common factor in the top half of the batting order will be Suryakumar Yadav. Shubman Gill will open the innings, but one has to wait and see who partners him — Ishan Kishan or Rishabh Pant?
Ishan has shown a lot of fearless batting in the IPL, but Pant isn’t too far behind. In 19 T20Is, Ishan has a 131- plus strike rate, but needs to be given the long run to make an impact. If Ishan opens the innings, Pant will have to bat at No.5.
Another exciting prospect will be India’s tearaway 22-year-old, Umran Malik, who had a tough start to his T20I career. He can be quite a handful in the New Zealand conditions and how he shapes up in the coming months could decide his career.
It will also be a test for Pandya, the captain. Laxman was effusive in his praise for theskipper.
“He’s a fabulous leader,” Laxman said. “We’ve seen what he has done at Gujarat (Titans) in the IPL. Someone taking on the leadership role in the first year itself and winning the Cup is no mean achievement.
“I have spent time with him from the Ireland series. He is not only tactically good, but also very calm on the field. That’s very important when you’re playing at the highest level.
“His presence in the dressing room and his work ethic are exemplary. He is a players’ captain; he is very approachable. All players confide in him,and that’s something I really like about him as captain. He leads by example, on and off the field.”