‘Youngsters who can be fearless..’ – Ravi Shastri suggests including T20 specialists in Indian side after 20-20 World Cup semi-final loss
India are all set to take on New Zealand in the three-match T20I series starting on 18th November. The team will be without its senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli on the tour which gives a great chance for the youngsters to make a name for themselves. After India’s exit from the 20-20 World Cup in the semi-finals, former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has said that there is no harm in choosing a new captain for the T20I side.
“For T20 cricket, there is no harm in having a new captain. Because the volume of cricket is such that for one player, to play all three formats of the game is never going to be easy. If Rohit is already leading in Tests and ODIs, there is no harm in identifying a new T20I captain and if his name is Hardik Pandya, so be it,” said Shastri during a select media call organised by Prime Video.
Earlier in the day, VVS Laxman, head coach for the series against New Zealand, stated that there would be more T20 specialists playing for India in the shortest format.
Shastri agreed with Laxman and said, “I think that is the way forward, I think VVS is right. They will identify specialists. Going forward, that should be the mantra. Identify and make that Indian side into a terrific fielding side and identify roles for these youngsters who can be fearless and play that kind of cricket without any kind of baggage.”
Umran has been a very exciting talent: Zaheer Khan
India’s express seam bowler Umran Malik has also been included in the Indian squad for the New Zealand tour. Former Indian seamer Zaheer Khan has said that the exposure in New Zealand will help Umran immensely.
“The variety in your pace attack is a must and you have seen teams following that kind of pattern. You need a left-arm bowler, you need someone who can swing the ball, you need someone who is an out-and-out fast bowler. If everything is in one package, then even better but if not, you would like to use the variety in your attack in the bowling lineup and use different conditions well. Umran has been a very exciting talent and this kind of exposure is definitely going to help him, it is about how he takes things forward if he wants to grab the spot consistently,” was quoted as saying by NDTV.
The India tour of New Zealand will begin on November 18 starting with the three-match T20I series. The telecast for T20Is (November 18, 20, and 22) begins at 11 AM and for ODIs (November 25, 27, and 30), the telecast will begin at 6 am.
