India's probable squad for T20I series against New Zealand

With New Zealand winning against Afghanistan, India have been knocked out of the ongoing T20 World Cup. They will play a dead rubber game against Namibia on Monday which will also be last as captain for Virat Kohli in T20 format and also for the coaching staff comprising Ravi Shastri, Bharat Arun and R Sridhar.

Team India has been playing non-stop cricket and there is no respite even after the World Cup. The Men in Blue are scheduled to face New Zealand in a three-match T20I series at home only three days after the mega event ends. The selectors are expected to announce the squad for the New Zealand T20Is soon or even after or before the Namibia game.

No doubt a few senior players will be rested given that they have been in a bio-bubble since June this year. It remains to be seen if Rohit Sharma will be named the full-time captain in T20Is. If that is the case, will he be rested as the team will have to be built for the next World Cup to be played in Australia in 2022. Several reports also suggest that Rohit will be named the captain but KL Rahul might be appointed skipper only for New Zealand series.

Who will get a chance?

It is clear that there will be quite a few changes to the squad that played the World Cup. Having dropped from the T20I now, selectors might opt against going back to Shikhar Dhawan with a lot of opening options available to pick from thanks to the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Orange Cap winner of IPL 2021, looks set to return to the side after debuting during Sri Lanka tour.

The traveling reserves for the World Cup, Deepak Chahar, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel could get a chance to showcase their skills and make a claim for a permanent spot. A lot could be debated on Hardik Pandya whose fitness has been a mystery for a long time now. He bowled a few overs during the World Cup and could be told to prove himself in this series as well with lack of finishers in the side.

Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah look like certainties to be rested for the T20I series. Another all-rounder who can bowl medium pace, Venkatesh Iyer, could also get picked and groomed as a back up for Pandya going forward.

Another interesting selection debate could be over Yuzvendra Chahal who was surprisingly dropped in favour of Rahul Chahar who didn’t play any of the four games at the World Cup. Bhuvneshwar Kumar didn’t have a great World Cup and could end up getting dropped. Mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy didn’t pick a single wicket in three matches he played in the World Cup so far and might lose his place as well.

Here’s India’s probable squad for New Zealand T20Is:

Rohit Sharma (C)/KL Rahul (C), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Venkatesh Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prithvi Shaw, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Manish Pandey, T Natarajan, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya