The young and fearless Indian team will kick off the new home season against the West Indies with a five-match T20I series, starting in Lucknow today. Cheteshwar Pujara shared his thoughts on the potential key match-up between Abhishek Sharma and Roston Chase, his pick for the opening spot between Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and his possible playing XI for the first T20I.
Cheteshwar Pujara weighed in on how India’s recent experience in Japan would come in handy in the T20I series opener in Lucknow:
“Bowlers won’t mind the Lucknow wicket. Given how it plays, there is a bit of help for fast bowlers as well as spinners, and batting isn’t that easy. The advantage for the Indian team is that after playing in Japan, the pitches there weren’t that easy for batting, so the batters will be a bit prepared for a slowish wicket or if the ball turns a bit. So, when the first match kicks off at Ekana, the Indian team might be slightly prepared with respect to the pitch, but may not be when it comes to the turnaround time.”
On Abhishek Sharma’s potential battle against off-spinner Roston Chase:
“When we talk about Abhishek, it was a very short phase when he wasn’t at number one. Given his strike rate, his consistency, and the starts he gives Team India, he is probably one of the most exceptional players in the T20 format. He has the ability to remain at number one for a long time because he has shots on both the off-side and leg-side. He had a slight dip in form during the World Cup, but he made a comeback from that and reached number one again. But at the same time, Roston Chase could be very important from the West Indies’ perspective because he is probably their best off-spinner, and they would want him to bowl in the powerplay. Indian left-handers have struggled a little bit against off-spin. Abhishek has gotten much better against off-spinners now, so it won’t be easy for Roston Chase. Still, his role will be very important because there are many left-handers there in the Indian line-up.”
On his preferred pick for Abhishek Sharma’s opening partner:
“I would go with Sanju Samson because he is an experienced player who has won a World Cup. You can’t suddenly make a change when someone is performing well just because you have an exceptional talent sitting on the bench. Sanju Samson is equally talented. He has also performed really well and is actually at his peak right now. You still have some years left of Sanju Samson, so try and make the most of it. There will be injuries in between, so Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will definitely get opportunities. It’s not like he won’t get a chance. And it will be good for him only, even if he isn’t in the playing XI; he can learn a lot of things by staying with the squad. As he matures, he will get his opportunities. India are playing a lot of T20 matches, so it’s not like he won’t get a chance all year, but he will have to wait for his opportunity.”
On Tilak Varma’s evolution as a finisher:
“It seems like the Indian team has found the kind of player they were looking for. Because at numbers 5, 6, and 7 in white-ball cricket, especially in the T20 format, you need a player who can bat according to the situation. If wickets fall early, he can play normal cricketing shots. But when you come in to bat after 15 or 16 overs, and you need 30 or 40 runs off 10 balls, Tilak has shown that he has that ability to take on the bowlers at the death at will. In his last few innings, he has struck at 246 in the overs 17 to 20, which is amazing! Because that requires a batter with the skill to hit boundaries regularly and score consistently, and Tilak has done that time and again recently.”
On his preferred playing XI for India in the first T20I:
“I’ll go with Abhishek and Sanju Samson to open the innings for the Indian team. Ishan Kishan has been batting really well at number three, Shreyas Iyer at number four. Tilak at number five, Shivam Dube at six, another finisher India should persist with, given his performances. Nitish Kumar Reddy will be at number seven in my opinion, because in Indian conditions, you need all-rounders, and between Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy, you can get four overs, plus batting depth. Axar Patel at number eight as a batter, giving you four overs of bowling as well. Kuldeep Yadav has been an X-factor in the ODI bowling setup, so hopefully in T20Is as well, he gets a spot in the playing XI at number nine. Arshdeep is a straightforward choice, and then Prince Yadav, because of his experience and recent IPL performances.”
