The Indian T20I setup is expected to go through a transition period soon, both in terms of personnel and approach.
Scoffing at the idea of workload management for the staff, former head coach Ravi Shastri claimed that Rahul Dravid should spend more time with the players at such a critical juncture.
Rahul Dravid had earlier skipped the Ireland and Zimbabwe tours as well, with Laxman deputizing for him. The latter was also in charge of India’s Asia Cup opener against Pakistan as Dravid had not recovered from Covid-19.
Ravi Shastri further exhorted Team India to walk in the footsteps of England. Lavishing praise on their bold stance, Shastri stated that the group of Indian players touring New Zealand could help plan the way forward by following the template set by England.
Not just separate captains and players, but England also have separate coaches. Brendon McCullum is in charge of the Test side while Matthew Mott takes care of white-ball proceedings.
“If his name is Hardik Pandya, then so be it” – Ravi Shastri bats for new T20I captain
After several rounds of passing-the-parcel, the captain’s hat has now come to Hardik Pandya. The star all-rounder had de-facto filed his nomination for the role after leading the Gujarat Titans (GT) to the IPL crown in their maiden season.
Pandya seems unlikely to play ODIs and Tests on a regular basis, thus taking the concern of workload out of the window. Ravi Shastri also threw his weight behind the 29-year-old, adding that it would be tough for regular skipper Rohit Sharma to manage all three formats.
India and New Zealand will kickstart the three-match T20I series in Wellington tomorrow, before shifting focus to the ODIs starting November 25 in Auckland.
Watch the India tour of New Zealand live and exclusive on Prime Video from Nov 18 - Nov 30. The T20Is on 18th, 20th and 22nd November begin 11 am, and ODIs on 25th, 27th and 30th November begin 6 am.
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