Team India’s new mantra is to set the “right template” as they press the reset button to get the ball rolling in the Rahul Dravid era.
The first T20I versus New Zealand at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday will be Dravid’s maiden appearance as India head coach as well as the team’s first match after a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign.
For sure, under new captain Rohit Sharma, the team, featuring quite a few of the players who fared really well in this year’s IPL, will be keen for a fresh start. They will be looking forward to impact-making performances to not just win the series but also keep themselves in fray for future matches leading into next year’s World Cup in Australia. But at present, creating their own template seems to be the focal point for Rohit and Dravid.
“We just need to set the template right and we have got some time to do that,” Rohit said on the eve of the opening T20I. “We have been brilliant in this particular format and it’s just that we haven’t won an ICC tournament. But we play well as a team and performed well too.
“Of course, there are a few holes that we need to fill up and that will be the biggest challenge as a team,” Rohit explained.
The new team management’s focus will also be on assigning specific roles to each of the players, particularly the youngsters. “We just have to create our own template, and what’s best and right for our team.
“Our boys play the Syed Mushtaq Ali (T20) Trophy and the IPL, and they play differently for their franchise. Now when they come here (in the Indian team), they play differently. So we strictly want to assign the role which they’re going to play here as that’s what matters,” Rohit said.
Groom newcomers
The series will also be a test for the likes of opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer and pacer Avesh Khan, all of whom had successful IPL stints. Of the three, Iyer, a promising left-handed batsman who can also bowl decent medium-pace, certainly has it in him to be an alternative for Hardik Pandya.
Rohit believes it’s essential to groom all the newcomers in the squad. “I understand the importance of a bowler all-rounder, but keeping one particular spot in mind is not the way forward,” he stated.
“It’s just not about one or two individuals and keeping an eye on them. It’s about the entire unit and set-up we have, which includes people who are playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and all of those guys back home as well.”
Even if these young cricketers don’t fire, they will get the much-needed assurance and confidence from the team management to keep expressing themselves on the field, Rohit stressed.
“It’s an important aspect of the (T20) format where people have that assurance of going in and taking those chances in the middle. If it comes off, it comes off. If it doesn’t, then what happens?
“That’s where Rahulbhai and I will have to play a huge role in terms of giving that individual an assurance to go out and express himself,” Rohit said.
Rotation
With regular captain Kane Williamson preferring to skip the series, the Black Caps will be looking to rotate their squad, which is more or less the same that finished runners-up in the T20 World Cup.
“The guys have to be managed throughout the series and we’ve got a squad of 15 here that were involved in the T20 World Cup,” pacer Tim Southee, who will be leading in the first T20I, said.
Match starts: 7pm
