Pandya and his band of young T20 stroke-makers may begin a new era
It can’t be said with complete certainty that Tuesday (January 3) will mark the start of a new era in Indian Twenty20 International cricket, but it certainly is the beginning of a new period of hope and optimism. Still smarting from the semi-final elimination at the World Cup in Australia last November, India will approach the three-match series against Asia Cup champions, Sri Lanka, with the immediate target – a series victory – on their mind rather than the next World Cup in this format to be held in the US and the Caribbean in June 2024.
India has one eye on the future
With Rohit Sharma still to recover fully from the thumb injury that prematurely ended his campaign in Bangladesh last month, the onus is on Hardik Pandya to steer the team forward. There is no official word on why Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, Rohit’s deputy at the World Cup, are missing from the squad, and it might be premature to assume they aren’t in the scheme of things for the north American bash next year. But clearly, India has one eye on the future, and it won’t be a huge surprise if some of these seniors are ‘phased out’ in time to come.
Pandya has impressed as a leader of young men
Pandya is no stranger to captaincy. In his maiden stint as full-season captain, he marshalled his troops superbly to carry debutants Gujarat Titans to the IPL title last year. From being the master of bling, he has emerged as a leader of young men; he has skippered India five times in T20Is and holds an unbeaten record, but more than the results, it is the manner in which he has allowed the leader in him to express itself that has caught the eye of the discerning.
Unless things change dramatically in the next 18 months, Pandya will most likely helm India’s campaign in the T20 World Cup next summer. It’s a matter of when, rather than whether, he is appointed the country’s full-time 20-over skipper, not least because the man tipped to take over from Rohit seems to have lost the confidence of the decision-makers. Rahul’s status as all-format vice-captain meant he would be the logical successor to Rohit, but his terribly iffy form – more than the lack of runs, it’s the lack of intent and perceived addled thinking that have been baffling – means with so many younger men snapping at his heels, he can ill afford to take his T20 place for granted any longer.
Also read: After Srikkanth, Ravi Shastri bats for Hardik Pandya as India T20I captain
In his sporadic and brief stints as skipper, Pandya has impressed with his man-management skills and tactical acumen. He is a terrific reader of the game and a willing student with clear ideas on how he wants to go about his business. There is a certain calmness about him that is infectious, and because he wears a smile at most times, he is able to command excellence from players without appearing to be overbearingly demanding. Pandya is a glutton for hard work, and while he might be lost to the world of red-ball internationals, his emergence as a white-ball behemoth is among the best pieces of news for India’s beleaguered limited-overs landscape.
‘SKY’ – the late bloomer
The elevation of Suryakumar Yadav as vice-captain is an interesting development. The late bloomer has established himself as the premier batting arm of the Indian side as well as among the top 20-over batsmen in the world currently, playing some of the most outrageous cricketing shots at the pivotal No. 4 position. Like Pandya, he has had a chequered past, but again like the younger man, he has matured exponentially and is already a leader in his own right.
Between them, Pandya and Suryakumar form an exciting on-field leadership group that should encourage Rahul Dravid to start to believe that a turnaround in multi-team events is around the corner, provided India doesn’t regress and revert to a conventional conservative methodology at big tournaments after having ferociously espoused aggression in the lead-up to such competitions.
The glittering array of expansive, exciting stroke-makers augurs well because these men have earned their spurs through sustained successes in the IPL and in domestic and India ‘A’ cricket, and deserve more than the occasional game to stake their claims. India’s ageing squad was shown up by the mega outfields in Australia last winter, and while T20 isn’t necessarily only a young man’s game, too many slow legs can never be a good thing. Towards that end, the influx of youth is a big plus; the persistence with tearaway quick Umran Malik and call-ups for fellow pacemen Shivam Mavi and Mukesh Kumar are nothing if not deserved.
Rishabh Pant’s uncertain future in the white-ball format
On another day, the omission of Rishabh Pant from both white-ball squads – India and Sri Lanka will also face off in three One-Day Internationals at the end of the T20s – would have been a major talking point. For all his boisterous ball-striking and calculated aggression in Test cricket, the stocky wicketkeeper has been, at best, a fringe element in limited-overs play. By asking him to report to the National Cricket Academy for conditioning work during the six matches, the deciding authorities have made it clear that at least for the immediate future, he is not in their short-format plans.
Pant’s unfortunate road accident and the subsequent long rehabilitation road ahead has precluded serious debate on his white-ball future, though it’s a debate that will rear its head once we enter the second half of the year and the 50-over World Cup in India in October-November is no longer a speck on the horizon.
India favourites at home
Only last year, India crushed Sri Lanka 3-0 in a T20I home series, and even though Dasun Shanaka’s men braved all odds to lift the Asia Cup in the UAE in October, they will be aware that it’s the host who will be favourites even though several first-choice, and some second-choice, personnel are unavailable. The visitors are coming off the Lanka Premier League, so either they are in complete preparation for this short series or are feeling the effects of a string of matches spaced closely together. As is the case in such things, it’s the outcome that will decide which of those scenarios is applicable.
