IND vs NZ: Is That The Start Of A New Era Or A Stop-Gap Arrangement"- Aakash Chopra On India's T20I Squad vs New Zealand

According to Aakash Chopra, India’s players will need to adapt if they want to play T20 international cricket in a more aggressive style. 

The just-finished T20 World Cup saw The Men in Blue eliminated during the semifinal round. With veteran players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul absent from the 16-member squad, they will play a three-match T20I series against New Zealand beginning on Friday, November 18. 

You Have To Change The Players If You Want To Change The Template: Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra elaborated in a video posted to his YouTube channel on the need for India to adopt a novel strategy for T20I cricket: 

“When the World Cup ends, you say you will go with a clean slate with new players. You have to do something different, you have to change the players if you want to change the template. If you continue with the same players, the template will not change.” 

Aakash Chopra is unsure whether the senior players’ departure from the Indian team is permanent or only temporary. According to the former Indian batter: 

“The big players are not traveling. A new 16-member squad has reached there, with Hardik Pandya as the captain. New Zealand have played their entire team, they have not rested anyone, but we have rested quite a few players and started with a new team. Is that the start of a new era or a stop-gap arrangement?” 

India’s team for the New Zealand series was selected before to their elimination from the T20 World Cup. At the moment, the senior players had just been offered a break, according to the selectors’ correspondence. 

I Don’t Know If It’s Part Of A Change Or Just A Change Because The Big Players Are Unavailable: Aakash Chopra

Chopra is also sceptical about the long-term effects of Hardik Pandya being selected as the captain for the T20Is against the Black Caps. He reasoned: 

“Hardik Pandya has been made the captain. A lot of people believe that he could be our future T20 captain but we really don’t know what the selectors and the team management are thinking because we have come to know in the last one year that the senior players come back in the main tournaments like Asia Cup and World Cup.” 

Shikhar Dhawan, who is unlikely to represent India in the 2023 ODI World Cup, will captain the team during the ensuing 50-over series against the same opponents, according to Aakash Chopra. a well-known commentator said: 

“On this same tour, Shikhar Dhawan will also be the ODI captain but he is not going to do ODI captaincy in the 2023 World Cup. So I don’t know if it’s part of a change or just a change because the big players are unavailable.” 

There will be the same number of ODIs after the three-match T20I series. For both series, Rishabh Pant has been selected as vice-captain. 

Also Read:IND vs NZ: “The Kiwis, They Never Stay Down”- Zaheer Khan Feels It Won’t Be Easy For India Against New Zealand