The Indian cricket team is gearing up for a tough limited-overs series against New Zealand, starting January 24. The tour starts with five T20Is.
This will be followed by three ODI matches. Post that Team India will also feature in two Tests against the Kiwis. The BCCI selection committee had earlier announced a 16-member T20I squad. This was followed by the announcement of the ODI squad on Tuesday.
Notably, India’s senior opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of the five-match T20I and three-game ODI series, owing to an injury to his left shoulder that he sustained during the Bengaluru ODI against Australia on Sunday.
Sanju Samson was named Dhawan’s replacement for the T20I series. Meanwhile, the dazzling Prithvi Shaw was handed a maiden ODI call-up.
India has gone in with a similar T20I squad that faced Sri Lanka earlier. They also went in with the same squad that took against Australia in the ODIs. With Dhawan’s absence, these two additions come in.
India has done remarkably well in limited-overs cricket since the conclusion of the 2019 World Cup. They pocketed four T20I series out of five, with one ending in a draw.
The side maintained its 100% series record in the 50-over format. It’s an interesting phase for Team India to maintain its shine and confidence going into the crucial assignments against the Kiwis.
However, Dhawan’s absence will be a miss. He has been nursing many injuries of late. He returned against Sri Lanka in the T20Is and then played two ODIs against the Aussies only to get injured again.
However, India is well stocked in both the squads and can present a stern challenge for the hosts.
India’s T20Is are on January 24, 26, 29, 31 and February 2.
The ODIs starts from February 5 onwards.
The in-form Prithvi Shaw earns maiden call-up in ODIs
Injuries and a suspension kept Shaw out of action for a while from the national set-up. However, the player has made amends in the crucial time lost.
Since his return to the game, the Mumbaikar has been in outstanding form and that has helped him earn a much-deserved call. To see Shaw making the cut ahead of several other players shows he has a positive future ahead.
The youngster impressed for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 and scored 240 runs in five matches at an average of 48.00.
The former Indian U-19 cricket team skipper played three Ranji Trophy matches next, which included a maiden First-Class double century against Baroda (202).
And then, Shaw went on to slam 150 recently for India A against New Zealand XI in a List A match. The 20-year-old batsman smashed 22 fours and two sixes at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval.
Shaw had brought up his hundred off just 64 balls. The dashing batsman brings a Virender Sehwag like a factor in the limited-overs and that’a plus.
After scoring a brisk 48 in the first unofficial ODI for India A against New Zealand A, the next two games will be extremely crucial for Shaw. He can vie for a berth atop, which can see Team India push KL Rahul in the middle order.
Rahul the new wicket-keeper batsman in limited-overs cricket for India?
His keeping skills against Australia was noted by skipper Virat Kohli, who said India will pursue with Rahul as the wicket-keeper batsman as this will allow the team to play an extra batsman.
With Dhawan nursing an injury ahead of the Sri Lanka series, Rahul cashed in against Bangladesh and West Indies.
That resulted in him featuring alongside Dhawan against Lanka and then with the latter and Rohit Sharma against the Aussies. More than that, his 80-run knock in the series equalling effort at number five earned him more praise.
With Rishabh Pant facing a concussion and missing the two ODIs against Australia, Rahul impressed as a keeper.
Pant, who has been inconsistent for India in limited-overs cricket, is likely to warm the bench against New Zealand. It is a chance for Rahul to impress once again and make the position as the keeper-batsman his own. India can hence include Shaw in the side.
The chance for the Indian pacers to continue a strong run of form
India’s pace unit has been performing well of late and this limited-overs series is a chance for them to continue the good run.
India’s pool of pacers is strong and both Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini will be aiming to support premier guns Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah.
The Indian pacers can work collectively and create pressure for the Kiwis. The trio of Saini, Bumrah, and Shami did well against Australia.
Prior to that, Shardul, Saini, and Bumrah did well in the T20Is against Lanka this year. So one expects them to carry the form. The Indian pace attack has come a long way since quite some time now.
Also, there is a lot of variety on offer. In Saini, you get a lot of paces and he will relish the conditions. Shami and Bumrah are top performers and will bank on consistency.
They are strong at the death and will keep India in the hunt. Shardul will aim for the assistance of swing in New Zealand conditions. So overall, India has a potent attack in the limited-overs series against NZ.