"You have to do something different, you have to change the players" - Aakash Chopra on India's squad for NZ T20Is
Aakash Chopra believes India will have to change their players to follow a more aggressive template in T20I cricket.
The Men in Blue were knocked out of the recently concluded T20 World Cup in the semi-final stage. They will be playing a three-match T20I series against New Zealand from Friday, November 18, with senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul not part of the 16-member squad.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra opined that India need to take a fresh approach to T20I cricket, elaborating:
"When the World Cup ends, you say you will go with a clean slate with new players. You have to do something different, you have to change the players if you want to change the template. If you continue with the same players, the template will not change."
Aakash Chopra is unsure if the absence of senior players from the Indian squad is for good or just a temporary step. The former Indian batter stated:
"The big players are not traveling. A new 16-member squad has reached there, with Hardik Pandya as the captain. New Zealand have played their entire team, they have not rested anyone, but we have rested quite a few players and started with a new team. Is that the start of a new era or a stop-gap arrangement?"
The squad for the New Zealand series was chosen before India crashed out of the T20 World Cup. At the time, the communication from the selectors was that the senior players had only been given a break.
"We really don't know" - Aakash Chopra on whether selectors are looking at Hardik Pandya as long-term T20I captain
Chopra is also unsure if Hardik Pandya being chosen as the skipper for the T20Is against the Black Caps has long-term implications. He reasoned:
"Hardik Pandya has been made the captain. A lot of people believe that he could be our future T20 captain but we really don't know what the selectors and the team management are thinking because we have come to know in the last one year that the senior players come back in the main tournaments like Asia Cup and World Cup."
Ravi Shastri said - "No harm in having new T20 Captain, and if his name is Hardik Pandya, so be it".
Aakash Chopra concluded by pointing out that Shikhar Dhawan, who is unlikely to lead India in the 2023 ODI World Cup, will captain the side in the subsequent 50-over series against the same opponents. The reputed commentator said:
"On this same tour, Shikhar Dhawan will also be the ODI captain but he is not going to do ODI captaincy in the 2023 World Cup. So I don't know if it's part of a change or just a change because the big players are unavailable."
The three-match T20I series will be followed by as many ODIs. Rishabh Pant has been named the vice-captain for both series.