Ravi Shastri expects to see “new faces” in India’s T20 World Cup squad next year and feels Hardik Pandya will play a big role in the make-up of the national team in the shortest format.

“I think they will (look in new direction). The T20 World Cup is coming up and there is lot of talent among youth. This year’s IPL, we have seen some refreshing new talent. There will be new faces, not a new team. He (Hardik) is already captain of India, so he will continue unless he is not fit,” the former India head coach told ESPNcricinfo.

Shastri drew similarities with the build-up to the 2007 T20 World Cup, which India won under MS Dhoni’s captaincy.

“Now they would go the 2007 T20 World Cup route and identify talent, and he (Hardik) will have big choice and his ideas will be different... he would have played IPL, and seen a lot of other players as captain of IPL. Obviously, he is the man who is going to take these guys out on the park, no one else, so whatever he says has to be given importance,” Shastri added.

He, however, doesn’t want T20 to be the priority in an ODI World Cup year.

“Don’t even think of T20 World Cup till ODI World Cup is over, and after that you have enough time for T20s.”

The 50-over World Cup will be held in India later this year.

Written with inputs from PTI