Team India selected a fairly new-look, young T20I and ODI squads for the ongoing New Zealand tour, with Hardik Pandya and Shikhar Dhawan being named the captains for the respective series with a host of senior players being rested.
The visitors could field just 12 of the 16 squad members during their 1-0 win in the three-match series, concluded by a rain-marred tie in the decider in Napier, after the opener in Wellington had been washed out.
Sanju Samson, Shubman Gill, Kuldeep Yadav and Umran Malik couldn’t get a game, Samson’s exclusion in particular being questioned by the experts and fans alike. The wicket-keeper batter had led Rajasthan Royals to a runners-up finish at the IPL 2022 earlier this year, and has been among the runs across the two white-ball formats in the limited opportunities he’s got for India in the period.
Hardik explained the team selection, stating that the short nature of the series didn’t allow the management to try out more players.
“This is my team, firstly. The coach [VVS Laxman, in this case] and I will pick the team we feel is right,”
he said after the series.
“And there’s a lot of time, everyone will get a chance, and when they do, they will get an extended run. But it’s difficult since this was a short series. If it had been a long series, more players would have got a chance.
“It was a short series, and I don’t believe in chopping and changing much, and I won’t in the future either. So it was simple, and had to do with what the team needed. I wanted a sixth bowling option. We got that here.”
India’s disappointing exit from the T20 World Cup, that came about with a crushing 10-wicket defeat to England in the semi-final, prompted several questions on their rather cautious approach, as had been the case after the last year’s edition in the UAE.
Hardik, reiterated that the team believes in playing fearless cricket, and that the players would get complete backing from the management to play positively.
“As a captain, my job is to give the players as much freedom as possible, and create a culture where the player can play without fear and not be blamed for failing,”
Hardik said.
“That was our approach at the World Cup, too, but since we didn’t win, what we couldn’t do well was highlighted. But, going forward, it will be about not playing in any one way; the effort will be to enjoy the game, play without fear. If you think you want to smash the first ball, go ahead; the management will back you. We want players to play with freedom.”
The two teams will now contest in a three-match ODI series, beginning with the first at the Eden Park, Auckland on Friday, November 25, followed by the second in Hamilton (November 27) and the third in Christchurch (November 30).
