Right balance of youth, experience
The deciding fixture of the five-match India vs South Africa T20I series was disappointingly washed out, but the home team did well to come back to level the series after having lost the first two matches. India will now go on to play Ireland followed by England (where a Test match and some ODIs have been thrown into the mix). It is difficult not to see these matches as preparation for the big challenge – the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, which kicks off in October.
The Indian Premier League, the South Africa matches and those going forward will influence team selection. And while the decision to sit out some senior players and give others opportunities is a good one, India faces a problem. At one level, it is a mere problem of plenty – India has a huge bench size and there are more contenders for a spot in the playing eleven than there ever has been before. In theory, this is a good situation to be in, a headache for the selectors perhaps, but no more than that.
But the issue is a bit more complex. Among the questions that will occupy the selectors’ minds is how much young blood to induct. Also, and this is a tricky one, what is to be done with senior players who have been somewhat out of form. It is impossible to see Virat Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma being dropped, but neither of them have been in very good form of late – of the more senior batters, KL Rahul has been the exception.
Of the younger batters, Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad and a couple of others have shown great potential at the top. Rishabh Pant has an opportunity to redeem his recent run of mediocre form, but with Dinesh Karthik signalling that he is the most effective finisher, India may be able to go to Australia with a clutch of wicketkeeper-batters (Pant, Karthik, Kishan and Rahul). Yuzvendra Chahal has probably picked himself as the main spinner. If Ravindra Jadeja is back, it will be interesting to see how many spinners will be selected in the squad.
India tops the T20 rankings, but given the staggering form shown by players in other countries, it will be a huge challenge to win the World Cup. As we saw last year, Pakistan is a hugely improved side, armed with bowlers with destructive potential and batters with much cooler heads. England and Australia are steeped in talent and so is New Zealand with its collection of less flamboyant but very consistent players. T20 matches are all about seizing the moment, which is why it is so hard to predict the outcome.
India has the opportunity to forge a team, with the right balance of youth and experience, and with an eye on what really matters – current form. Contests are no respecters of past reputations and the selectors must be bold enough to focus on choosing the best.