With Gautam Gambhir taking over as the India cricket team head coach, an often-repeated term flashes in the mind — the dawn of a new era. On the face of it, it indeed looks like the Indian set-up is entering a new era. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retired from T20Is, with Suryakumar Yadav being named the new captain. So, what are the takeaways from India’s limited-overs squads for the Sri Lanka tour? At RevSportz, we have lifted a few of them.
Hardik-Gill-Suryakumar and the jigsaw puzzle
Right after India triumphed in the ICC T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, the speculation was that Hardik Pandya would be announced as skipper for the shortest format. But the BCCI regime and Gambhir seem to think differently.
Perhaps, it had something to do with Hardik’s injury woes. Or, maybe, the selectors and Gambhir rate Suryakumar’s leadership qualities higher. Here, it has to be noted that Suryakumar, who captained India in T20Is versus South Africa, made a decent fist of it; leading from the front in the second game with a hundred.
Whatever it was, Hardik now suddenly finds himself without even the vice-captaincy role. Instead, Shubman Gill, who led India’s second-string side in Zimbabwe, has been elevated to that position.
On a side note, it would also be interesting to see how Gambhir goes about managing the team dynamics, especially in the backdrop of one of the senior players not getting the opportunity to lead India in the shortest format.
What to make of Sanju Samson’s non-inclusion in the ODI set-up?
The wicket-keeper-bat made his ODI debut around three years. In his limited opportunities, he has made an impression, averaging just under 57. Despite that, Samson has not become a regular member of the ODI unit. So, what could have gone against Samson? Probably, as Riyan Parag also bowls part-time off-spin, the selectors have placed him ahead of Samson in the pecking order. Parag is also only 22, and the selectors might have pencilled him as a long-term prospect.
Just like Parag, Shivam Dube has also made it to both squads. The reason could be related to concerns surrounding Hardik’s fitness. In that context, they are looking at Dube as a back-up all-round option.
Two left-armers in the T20I set-up; no place for Avesh Khan
Curiously, with Khaleel Ahmed selected in the T20I squad, India now have two left-arm pace bowlers. Arshdeep Singh is the other one. Obviously, Arshdeep has now established himself in the T20I set-up, but did Khaleel deserve a place in the shortest format over Avesh Khan? Khaleel averages a tick over 33 in T20Is, while Avesh has taken his wickets at the cost of 28.04.
Moreover, with India already having Arshdeep as the left-arm paceman, Avesh might have brought in some variety to the side with his hit-the-deck skills. Having said that, Avesh Khan’s knee was strapped in Zimbabwe, and that could be the rationale behind him missing out on selection.
Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad miss out
Abhishek did crack his maiden T20I hundred in Zimbabwe, in just his second international game. More importantly, during the course of his quick-fire ton, he showcased loads of intent at the top of the order. However, the Indian management seems to have made up its mind that Gill is the next all-format-cricketer, even though there are question marks over his credentials in the shortest format. With Yashasvi Jaiswal also in the mix, there is no place at the top of the order for either Abhishek or Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Harshit Rana bags a spot
The tall seamer was selected only as a replacement for the first two T20Is in Zimbabwe. But he has now won a place in the main ODI squad. Harshit hits the deck hard from a relatively high release point, alongside extracting nifty movement off the seam. He also has a few variations up his sleeve. Moreover, Harshit has an extra weapon in his artillery as he is also a useful batter.