Although Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were not mentioned by Rahul Dravid, he made it abundantly clear that India has decided to prepare for the T20Is with the World Cup in mind. After India’s T20 World Cup semi-final exit, there were already talks of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli being eased out of the shorter format.
They gained momentum after Rohit’s injury prevented them from being named to the India T20I squad for the three-match series. Now, head coach Rahul Dravid has given strong indications that he will build a young team with the goal of competing in the T20 World Cup in 2024.
While Dravid did not mention Rohit or Kohli, he was very clear that India has decided to focus on the T20Is. Given that the 50-over World Cup will be held at home toward the end of the year. The former India captain added that the seniors will now focus primarily on the ODI format.
We are at a slightly different stage of considering the next cycle of Twenty20. So our team is slightly younger, and playing against Sri Lanka’s quality is a fantastic experience. After India’s defeat to Sri Lanka in the second Twenty20 International in Pune,
Dravid has a point. Only Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel, and Arshdeep Singh were in the Indian team that lost by 10 wickets to England in the World Cup semi-final last year. That team played Sri Lanka on Thursday. India’s two T20I series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand since the World Cup have been led by Hardik Pandya.
Hardik’s elevation has not been officially announced by the selectors. But it is likely that he will continue to lead the majority of T20Is going forward. When asked about India’s performance, Dravid said that the management of the team, the fans, and everyone else will have to be patient with this young team because they might have a bad day.
As they did in the 2nd T20I against Sri Lanka, where they lost by 16 runs. “Bowling wides or no-balls in this format can be very harmful, so nobody wants to do it. With these young children, we have to be patient. This type of game will occasionally be played because there are a lot of young children playing, especially in bowling. That must be understood by us.
We make an effort to provide them with technical assistance, support, and the right environment. They are learning and very skilled. We have to be patient because international cricket is hard to learn on the job. Suryakumar Yadav (51 off 36) and Axar Patel (65* off 30) got India close with some lusty hitting in the final 10 overs of the match.
But India lost four wickets in the powerplay while chasing 207. Dravid stated that the dew ensured the chasing team was always in the game. So Hardik’s decision to bowl first on a pitch that has always preferred sides batting first was not a bad one. “A few wickets went our way. If we had wickets, things might have been different, but we still got close.
They were unable to finish their spinners because there was a lot of dew, which hurt seamers, but other than that, it was a good wicket. It was a good choice to bowl first. We could have achieved the desired outcome if we had performed better in a few areas. In Rajkot on Saturday, the two teams will meet in the series decider.