Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes that there will be many new faces in India’s T20 World Cup squad next year, with captain Hardik Pandya playing a significant role in selection. While veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain in the T20 lineup, the phasing out process began after a disappointing semi-final exit in last year’s global meet in Australia. Shastri thinks that new talent is emerging from the Indian Premier League, and Pandya will have a big say in selecting the team. He compares the upcoming tournament to the 2007 T20 World Cup, when India went with a relatively young team full of rookies under Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Shastri believes that Pandya is at his best when he is fit and leading from the front. He says that Pandya’s workload will not be too heavy, as he now only plays in two formats (ODIs and T20Is), and there won’t be much cricket after the IPL until October’s ODI World Cup. Shastri also advises that everyone should have their priorities clear, and not think about the T20 World Cup until after the ODI World Cup.
Shastri thinks that the IPL is a great platform to test a player’s temperament against good opposition. He believes that one should be captain of their state in Ranji to captain in Test matches, and similarly, IPL is the biggest domestic T20 tournament. Quality is far better compared to other tournaments, and who is leading which franchise and doing well should be taken into account while selecting the team.
