Mission World Cup accomplished, Team India press reset button in T20Is
The last few weeks have been quite surreal for Indian cricket and its fans. The Men in Blue ended their 11-year-old drought of not winning an ICC trophy by lifting the 2024 T20 World Cup held in the West Indies and the United States. There were sentimental reactions from players immediately after the triumph in the final. The win soon became a national emotion, with grand celebrations across the country.
On another note, the memorable triumph also marked the end of an era in Indian cricket as far as T20Is are concerned. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirements from the format and were soon joined by all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Team India did play a T20I series in Zimbabwe just days after lifting the T20 World Cup, but most of the big names were rested for the series.
The actual transition period in India's T20I squad will begin with the three-match series in Sri Lanka. The first step towards Mission 2026 T20 World Cup was taken when the selectors named star batter Suryakumar Yadav as captain for the T20I series in Sri Lanka ahead of all-rounder Hardik Pandya. It's a big decision since the latter was the vice-captain in the World Cup, but the move is understandable.
The Indian selectors and management have expressed confidence in Suryakumar doing a good job in the huge role he has been assigned. These are still early days though and the good part about the decision is that they still have enough time to review the move in case things don't go to plan. Suryakumar has a good head on his shoulders and it would be surprising if he doesn't do well.
Opening note: Gill, Jaiswal must grab chances with Gaikwad, Abhishek waiting in the wings
Rohit and Kohli opened the innings in the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, with both having retired from the format, the Men in Blue need to look for a new combination at the top of the order.
Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are set to open the innings in Sri Lanka. It's a great opportunity for the duo to make a mark as an opening pair. Gill has played 19 T20Is so far and has scored 505 runs at a strike rate of 139.50, with one hundred and three fifties. As for Jaiswal, he has 643 runs from 20 matches at a strike rate of 162.78, with one ton and five half-centuries.
These are still early days in the duo's T20I career. Both have shown glimpses of promise. They will now hope for a longer run so that they can prove their mettle as Team India look to zero in on their next opening pair in the T20I format. It is a bit surprising that Ruturaj Gaikwad wasn’t picked for the Sri Lanka T20Is despite his impressive performance in Zimbabwe.
Gaikwad scored 133 in three innings at a strike rate of 158.33 in the Zimbabwe series. He, however, batted at No. 3 and No. 4 in the series, so one wonders whether he is being looked at as a middle-order option. Remember, India also gave a chance to Abhishek Sharma in Zimbabwe. He hammered a 46-ball ton in one of the games but was then surprisingly moved down to the No. 3 position.
Samson vs Pant: The debate 'keeps' going on
Shifting the focus to the keeping department, Sanju Samson was surprisingly axed from the ODI squad despite scoring a hundred in his last match in the format. However, he retains his place in the T20I team. The 29-year-old scored a crucial half-century in the fifth and final T20I in Zimbabwe, when India were in trouble.
However, it remains to be seen whether Samson gets an opportunity ahead of Rishabh Pant. The latter was part of the T20 World Cup squad and played all the matches for India. He began well, but his form tapered away towards the business end. Inconsistency has been the hallmark of Pant's T20I career. He has three half-centuries in 64 innings at a strike rate of 126.55, but still gets the team's backing.
Khaleel Ahmed: A dark horse in the pace department
If we look at India's pace department in the T20I format, Jasprit Bumrah [rested for the Sri Lanka series] is a certainty. The same goes for Arshdeep Singh, who was excellent in the 2024 T20 World Cup and did an impressive job in 2022 as well. Mohammed Siraj has played 13 T20Is but is yet to establish himself in the format.
The inclusion of left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed in the T20I squad is an indication that he too is being considered one of the pace options in the format. Having made his debut in 2018, the 26-year-old has only played 17 T20Is so far. Khaleel was also part of the Zimbabwe tour and being a left-armer gives him an advantage. But, keeping the competition in mind, he must grab his chances.