India will look to forget the disappointments of 2022 and begin the new year on a winning note when they face off with Sri Lanka in the first T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s contest, and the two thereafter, will provide the youngsters in the current squad the chance to be in the reckoning for India’s T20I scheme of things.
Besides, it will be a test for skipper Hardik Pandya as this series is believed to be his first as India’s regular captain in the shortest format. If Pandya gets his all-round work right and India win the series, it would be a matter of time before he is officially announced as the full-time T20I captain keeping in mind the T20 World Cup in 2024.
Both Pandya and the rest of the Indian cricketing fraternity would hope the opposite doesn’t happen as that may again put the BCCI in a fix. With Rohit Sharma, recovering from a thumb injury, returning for the ODIs, and the likes of KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and other seniors too not there in this T20I squad, it’s certainly a big opportunity for Pandya to lead from the front and stamp some sort of an authority on this group.
Umran Malik at practice on Monday. PTI photo
Team India drew flak for their approach in last year’s T20 World Cup in Australia, especially in the Powerplay overs. In this three-match series, India will have a different opening pair and it could again be Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad batting upfront. Under the captaincy of Pandya, who is a firm believer in aggressive cricket, the openers could well be seen taking no half-measures in the first six overs, which is the way to go in T20 cricket.
Besides, no matter how some of the youngsters in this group perform — even if they look out of sorts — they will have skipper Pandya’s backing. In IPL 2022, Pandya’s backing of David Miller not just brought the South African back in form, but also enabled him to be a key force behind Gujarat Titans’ triumph in their debut season.
That’s one example of how captain Pandya operates. Talking about the rest of the team combination, Suryakumar Yadav, keeper-batter Sanju Samson and Pandya are set to follow the two openers. It remains to be seen whether the team management goes in with Deepak Hooda at No.6 or hands a debut to Rahul Tripathi.
For Samson though, this series provides him with the chance to cement his place in the T20I set-up, especially with Rishabh Pant now likely out for quite some time after the car accident last week.
Spinner all-rounder Washington Sundar, a consistent performer lately, should also be a part of the XI. He’s likely at bat at No.7 followed by seamer all-rounder Harshal Patel, who too is set for a comeback in the XI along with leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.
Left-armer Arshdee p Singh and Jammu’s Umran Malik will likely be the two frontline quicks unless the team management wishes to give a chance to Mukesh Kumar or Shivam Mavi.
On the other hand, the Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lankans have a more settled unit and will field more or less the same team that played in the T20 Cup last year. Sri Lanka have a poor record in India over the last decade or so, yet India aren’t complacent.
“You can see a lot of emotion there (in the Lanka team) because of obviously what happened in their country. And that gave them more motivation to go out there and be in a zone where they’re ready to do anything and everything possible,” Pandya said.
