India to begin life after World Cup
Back on the road following their unfulfilled World Cup campaign, India will begin their preparations for the T20 showpiece event next year with a three-match series against the West Indies beginning here on Saturday.
As captain Virat Kohli pointed out before leaving for the Caribbean tour, the main objective of the T20s and the subsequent ODI series against the West Indies is to try out the fringe players who are on the selector’s mind.
Kohli was expected to be rested for the limited-overs leg of the tour but a full-strength squad has been picked barring the absence of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah who will join the side ahead of the Test series beginning August 22. All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been rested for the entire tour.
It will be a crucial couple of weeks for Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey, who are back in the mix after being sidelined from India’s 50-over World Cup plans. Pandey last played for India in November 2019 and Iyer in February 2018.
With India looking to solidify their brittle middle-order in ODIs, both batsmen have a good opportunity to make their case in the coming six games. Both Pandey and Iyer, who were part of the recently-concluded A series in the Caribbean, come into the senior team with runs under their belt.
Spin all-rounder Washington Sundar and pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Deepak Chahar are also back in the T20 squad while speedster Navdeep Saini and Deepaks brother Rahul are in line to make their India debut.
With Rohit Sharma and a fit-again Shikhar Dhawan set to open, the number four spot seems likely to be occupied by K L Rahul, who has fond memories of the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, having scored an unbeaten 110 in his last innings here almost three years ago.
Rohit was top-scorer in the World Cup, with a record five hundreds, and would be keen to carry that form.
From this tour onwards, Rishabh Pant will have more responsibility on his shoulders with the selectors backing him as the number one wicketkeeper in all formats amid little clarity over the future of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
India will be expected to beat the West Indies though they are most dangerous in the shortest format.
The explosive Kieron Pollard and spinner Sunil Narine are back in the side though Chris Gayle will only be seen in the ODIs. Meanwhile, the team called up Jason Mohammed on Friday as cover for the injured Andre Russell.
Mohammed, 32, has captained West Indies in both limited-overs formats and returns to the international fold for the first time since July 2018.
Russell had originally been selected despite continuing his recovery from a knee injury that saw him leave the World Cup early.
He withdrew from the squad for the India series after experiencing discomfort while playing at the T20 tournament in Canada.
