As India’s new T20 era begins in Zimbabwe, focus on taking forward attacking philosophy of World Cup winning team

Which means, unless the new head coach wants a full-strength squad, the selectors are planning to rest all the seniors till the home season which begins in the third week of September.

As things stand, the plan for India is to have the seniors fully fit and ready in the second week of September, just in time for a camp they are scheduled to have in Chennai ahead of the Bangladesh series.

And it is the T20Is that India are planning to use to develop a squad that can serve them well in white-ball cricket. For a change there isn’t any cloud of uncertainty around the seniors any more, which means they can plan without going back and forth. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja have all moved on. And here they are the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (scheduled to link up with the squad in Zimbabwe after the first two T20Is), Rinku Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag in who India believe they can take their new-found attacking approach even further. Shubman Gill is leading the side here, but all things point out to Hardik Pandya taking over the reins going forward.

Though India have traditionally sent second-string squads for their off-season tour of Zimbabwe, the core of the team in Harare is expected to form the nucleus of the T20 side going forward. Like it has been the case before, at present the squad in Zimbabwe is again top-heavy with Jaiswal, Gill, Gaikwad and Abhishek – all openers – expected to bat out of position. “Rohit bhai and Virat bhai opened at the World Cup. I’m also an opener in the format. I would like to continue to open the batting in T20s,” Gill said.

However, having missed out on the T20 World Cup spot, with Jaiswal and Abhishek in the mix, Gill knows more than the runs it is the intent that would keep him in the frame. But for the time being, he can breathe easy as there is still plenty of time for culling as rotating players seem to be the focus point now. For the record, India have a whopping 30 T20Is and two IPLs to figure out the ideal resources before the next T20 World Cup in 2026.

Focus on all-rounders

Right through the previous T20 cycle where they played three T20 World Cups in the space of four years, thanks to the one-dimensional batsmen in the line-up, India often struggled for the balance of the squad. Even in their victorious campaign, two of their all-rounders – Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel – played instrumental roles and going forward it is one aspect India’s selectors are keen on developing.
Abhishek’s inclusion also shows India are going to take the intent formula put in place by Rohit to the next level. Right through the IPL, the opening batsman from Punjab played a brand of cricket which India are rarely accustomed to. And with the likes of Gill and Gaikwad more comfortable batting in a slightly lower gear, Abhishek is a player India’s selectors believe will have a huge role to play in sustaining the momentum they have gained.

As for Washington, there is a feeling that India didn’t make full use of him in the last three years. And there is also a reason why the team management made a last-minute request to include him in the World Cup squad as there are not many off-spinners in the domestic circuit. It meant, India had to take a few risks especially when holding back their left-arm spinners. Those moves paid off, but having a rounded-squad is still top of their priority with Ravi Bishnoi around as a leg-spinner.

With role-specific players acing their job at the T20 World Cup, the inclusion of Parag and Jurel fits the bill as well. Having aced their roles as lower middle-order batsmen in the IPL with aplomb, both also happen to be the multi-dimensional players who can help in striking the balance.

As a new era begins, India has plenty of cards to choose from. How well they use them remains the big question.