New guard vs New Zealand

After a rude reality check in the Men’s T20 World Cup, India will aim to press the reset button for the 2022 edition under new captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid, starting with the three-match series against New Zealand that begins here on Wednesday.

The duo will underline the Men in Blue’s template and philosophy in the shortest format in the next 11 months after it became clear that some rejig is needed as a part of course correction. The disappointment in the UAE edition has forced India to look beyond Hardik Pandya, who for long has not been able to bring his all-round skills to the table.

Venkatesh Iyer has been brought in as Hardik’s replacement and the three games are likely to give an indication if he can be groomed for the pace-bowling all-rounder slot. India can also do with more power hitters and Venkatesh, who played for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2021, has shown his ability to hit long.

The other IPL performers who have been picked in the squad are Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan and Yuzvendra Chahal, who makes a comeback after being left out of the WC squad. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was not at his best in the UAE, has been given another opportunity to find his ‘A’ game. There are five openers in the side and slotting them in middle-order positions would be a challenge for the think-tank.

Rohit and vice-captain KL Rahul are expected to open on Wednesday, but India might be tempted to experiment at some point in the series. Suryakumar Yadav could not find his rhythm during the World Cup, but is one player India would look to back for No.4.

In the absence of the rested Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel can fill the spin-bowling all-rounder spot while Ravichandran Ashwin is expected to retain his place in the eleven. New Zealand, which effectively knocked India out of the T20 WC, has reached Jaipur from Dubai with little time to reflect on its loss to Australia in the title clash.

Regular skipper Kane Williamson has been given rest for the T20Is so that he is fresh for the following Test series. Seasoned pacer Tim Southee will lead the team in his absence. With Trent Boult for company and Daryl Mitchell in the top-order, New Zealand will be more than a handful in the series.