3 takeaways from India's T20I squad vs New Zealand
Team India's next assignment in the shortest format is a three-match T20I series against New Zealand. The first T20I will be played on 27 January 2023 in Ranchi, followed by the remaining two - in Lucknow and Ahmedabad on 29 January and 1 February 2023, respectively.
The 16-member squad selected for the series features the return of Prithvi Shaw and Kuldeep Yadav in the shortest format.
India’s squad for NZ T20Is:
Hardik Pandya (C), Suryakumar Yadav (vc), Ishan Kishan (wk), R Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Y Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Prithvi Shaw, Mukesh Kumar
The squad is a well-balanced one, packed with youngsters who have played a lot of T20 cricket, especially in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Hardik Pandya continues to be the skipper for India in T20Is.
On that note, here is a look at three takeaways from India's T20I squad against New Zealand
#1 A young team with most players below the age of 30
After the debacle in Asia Cup 2022 and T20 World Cup 2022, the selectors seem to have settled on the principle of having specialist players in the T20 format. A look at the Indian squad for the T20I series against New Zealand shows that out of the 16 members, 13 are below the age of 30. Only Suryakumar Yadav, Rahul Tripathi, and Yuzvendra Chahal are above 30 years of age in the squad.
Another daunting aspect is that seven players out of 16 - Ishan Kishan, Shubhman Gill, Washington Sundar, Shivam Mavi, Prithvi Shaw, Umran Malik, and Arshdeep Singh - are below the age of 25. Thus, more than 40 percent of the squad is below 25 years of age.
The management seems to have decided on grooming youngsters in the shortest format and giving them more exposure in the shortest format before the T20 World Cup 2024.
#2 To adopt the approach of playing aggressive cricket in power play overs
Though team India won the T20I series against Sri Lanka by a margin of 2-1, the opening combination of Shubhman Gill and Ishan Kishan did not have the best of times with the bat. While Gill averaged 19.33 in the said series, Kishan averaged just 13.33. The duo had partnerships of 27,12, and 3 in the three innings of the series and failed to get the side off to flying starts.
The inclusion of Prithvi Shaw in the squad could see him open the batting with Ishan Kishan in T20Is against New Zealand. Shaw is known to play attacking cricket right from the word go and could look to cement his place in the opener's slot.
To date, Shaw has played a solitary T20 international and was dismissed on the very first ball he faced. He, however, has an impressive record in IPL cricket and has an impressive strike rate of 147.45 in 63 matches.
Thank you so much @JayShah sir. Your words of encouragement means a lot. Will keep working hard. twitter.com/JayShah/status…
Shaw has been in impressive form in the Ranji Trophy and recently scored a mammoth 379 against Assam. He is a man of form and his inclusion could be a trump card for team India in the series.
If Shaw can set the tempo and gain momentum in the powerplay overs, the stage will be set for the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and others to carry on in the middle and death overs.
The inability of the Indian openers to maximize the advantage during fielding restrictions in powerplay overs has paved the path for Shaw's return to the team.
#3 Phasing out of senior players from T20Is gradually
After the T20 World Cup 2022, a lot of senior players who were a part of the squad are not being considered for the shortest format. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Dinesh Karthik, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Harshal Patel have not been included in the T20I series against New Zealand.
Young batsmen like Shubhman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Prithvi Shaw will look to establish themselves in the shortest format.
On the pace bowling front, the impressive Umran Malik and Arsheep Singh will get another opportunity to spearhead the bowling attack. Shivam Mavi had an impressive start to his T20I career against Sri Lanka and will look to make the most of his opportunities against New Zealand.
Washington Sundar is likely to occupy the vital number seven position in absence of Axar Patel and will look to impress with his all-round skills.