Team India’s old-school approach towards T20 cricket had been laid bare during their humiliating loss to England in the semi-final of the last World Cup at the Adelaide Oval. It called for drastic measures though the BCCI has been slow to react.
The team’s Powerplay conservatism and lack of innovation in this fast-changing format hurt them badly. The top-three, comprising captain Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, seemed lost and unable to cope with the demanding format. It reflected in their inconsistent form and poor strike-rate.
As calls for a relatively new and youthful team grew louder, Sunil Gavaskar was quick to point out that “there could be retirements, (since) there are a lot of players in their mid-30s”.
The process started almost immediately as Hardik Pandya led a new-look squad to New Zealand. However, there was no concrete roadmap since the emphasis was on the 50-over format in keeping with the World Cup at home. But with India playing five T20Is in the West Indies and a new selection committee chairman in place, a definite plan seems to be in the making.
The omission of Rohit and Kohli from the 15-member squad for the West Indies, as announced on Wednesday night, has pitchforked the overwhelming stress on youth. There’s no word that the duo have been spoken to by new chief selector Ajit Agarkar though it could happen once the Test and ODI series ends.
Tilak Varma. File photo
The likes of Shreyas Iyer are sure to make a comeback as and when he attains match fitness but the team management will have the chance to experiment and put in place the nucleus of the side for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Questions will be raised about the timing of the transition considering that the ODI World Cup is barely three months away. But it’s already been too late if India wish to follow England’s template of having specialists for every position — eight months since the showpiece event in Australia and less than a year for the next edition in the West Indies and Florida to unfold.
Rookies like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma will need time to adjust to the rigours of international cricket and be in the right shape and form to take on the best in the world. It will also not just be about finding the right player but also identifying replacements and building bench strengths.
England showed the depth in their pool just before the start of the T20 World Cup in Australia when Jonny Bairstow was injured in a freak accident. They picked Alex Hales and it turned out to be the most inspiring decision as the opener was their second-highest scorer on way to clinching the trophy.
India’s batting in the new-look squad looks strong as the youngsters have been rewarded for their IPL performances, though lack of foresight has affected the balance. There’s no finisher barring captain Hardik Pandya and no all-rounders in the lower-order except for Axar Patel at No.7. Will Varma be given the responsibility of a finisher though he batted in the middle-order for Mumbai Indians?
That means India could have a long tail which isn’t the ideal scenario in this format. There’s no Shardul Thakur or Washington Sundar or Deepak Chahar and none among Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik or Avesh Khan are known to perform with the bat.
There’s no clarity on Ravindra Jadeja though. He has performed consistently in the T20 format with his all-round abilities and it is possible that the hero of the IPL final could have been rested to monitor his workload.
A Rinku Singh could have helped but the selectors felt the Kolkata Knight Riders batter isn’t quite matured enough and should be tested against lower-ranked opponents. The omission of Ruturaj Gaikwad from the squad has also been a surprise but his presence in the Test and ODI squads will give enough opportunity to judge his talent.
With Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan already in the side, there was no room for another opener. Gaikwad and Rinku Singh could well be tried out during the Ireland tour or the Asian Games if the BCCI decides to send a team.
Sanju Samson is likely to get a fair run this time before a call is taken on his future. Punjab Kings’ Jitesh Sharma was unlucky to miss out and could have played the role of a finisher to perfection. Jitesh got an India call-up when Samson was unfit and had to be sidelined once the Rajasthan Royals captain returned.
Like Rinku, the selectors will get a chance to evaluate Jitesh during the series in Ireland or the Asian Games. There’s no reason to believe that the T20 pool of cricketers have been identified since the selectors are sure to continue with their experiments in the coming months.
The next few T20 series could also settle the debate over who will be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper. Ishan Kishan played in the two T20Is in New Zealand and three against Sri Lanka at home earlier this year, though he was far from impressive.
But will Kishan get a chance to bat in the top order if Jaiswal can replicate his IPL form? Once Jaiswal opens with Gill, there’s every chance that Samson could be a regular behind the wickets.
The line has still not been drawn and chances will be doled out to the hopefuls.
