3 clear indications from India's T20I squad for the West Indies series
With the World Test Championship done and dusted, Team India will shift their focus to the shortest format as they build towards the 2024 T20 World Cup. Their first assignment will be a five-match tour of the West Indies in August.
The BCCI announced India's squad for the tour yesterday. Hardik Pandya was named the skipper once again, but even otherwise, the contingent wasn't without a few surprises. The likes of Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma missed out even as the Men in Blue gear up to field a youthful side against the Windies.
India’s T20I squad for the West Indies series: Ishan Kishan (wk), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (vc), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya (c), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.
There is barely any communication from the BCCI selectors, so it's upto us to speculate what their thinking might be. And there are quite a few theories we can arrive at after taking a look at the squad they've selected.
Here are three clear indications from India's T20I squad for the upcoming West Indies series.
#3 All three wrist-spinners are still in the hunt for a regular spot
India definitely can't field three wrist-spinners in their playing XI; no team in the world can. In the long run, they might not even be able to field two of the trio, since none of them can bat reliably.
The West Indies tour is likely to serve as a litmus test for all three to prove their worth. Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Bishnoi all offer different skillsets, with the first two having been India's go-to wrist-spinners in the format so far without really nailing their place down.
Bishnoi and Kuldeep should ideally be the Men in Blue's first two options in that order, with Chahal having disappointed in white-ball cricket for quite a while now. It seems like the selectors want to give the veteran leggie a longer rope, though.
Bishnoi, Chahal and Kuldeep are clearly locked in a battle to secure a regular spot.
#2 The selectors want to give fringe fast bowlers a chance to impress
In the absence of names like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammad Shami, India have the opportunity to try out new bowlers. Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik are the four specialist fast bowlers who will be on the plane to the Caribbean.
It doesn't seem feasible to play three of the quartet in unison since none of them offer anything with the bat, so Hardik Pandya will likely be the third pacer in the playing XI. This will give the two frontline pacers who make the XI the chance to bowl across various stages of the innings and stake their respective claims to be in the first-choice squad.
Arshdeep is expected to be the leader of the bowling attack, but even he hasn't nailed down a spot yet. Mukesh, Avesh and Umran, meanwhile, are all in poor form and need to step up.
The selectors seem intent on arriving at the names who will be part of the pace attack once the superstars return, with the West Indies tour serving as a great chance to accomplish the same.
#1 It might actually be the end of the road for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in T20Is
India have played three T20I series since the conclusion of the 2022 T20 World Cup, and Hardik has been at the helm in all three of them. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli haven't been seen in action, and it's safe to say that there's a distinct chance they might not be involved in the team's plans in the shortest format.
While Rohit has consistently failed to deliver in the IPL, there are concerns over Kohli's strike rate and ability to attack spin. India might need to move towards younger players who can play an aggressive brand of cricket more consistently as they move closer to the next edition of the T20 World Cup.
Workload management might be a reason behind Rohit and Kohli not playing T20Is, but they will have had an entire month's rest by the time they face off against the Windies. It seems like the BCCI want to move on from the senior duo in the format.