After India’s 20-20 World Cup semi-final exit, there was already talk of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli being eased out of the shortest format. Now, head coach Rahul Dravid has hinted at building a young team in preparation for the next 20-20 World Cup in 2024. Dravid did not name anyone, let alone Rohit and Kohli, but he was emphatic that India has decided to look forward to T20Is.
The former India captain also stated that the seniors’ primary focus will now be on the ODI format, as the 50-overs World Cup will be held in India at the end of this year.
“For us, obviously, from the last semi-final (in the T20 World Cup) that we played against England, only 3-4 boys are playing in the XI (against Sri Lanka). We are slightly in a different stage of looking at the next cycle of T20, so ours is a slightly younger team and for us to play against the quality of Sri Lanka is a fantastic experience. The good thing is that a lot of focus is on the ODI World Cup and World Test Championship, so the T20s give us the opportunity to try out these guys,” Dravid told reporters after India lost to Sri Lanka in the 2nd T20I in Pune.
Hardik Pandya has led India in two T20I series since the World Cup, against New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The selectors have not made an official announcement about Hardik’s elevation, but he is expected to continue to lead in the majority of T20Is in the future.
We’ve got to be patient with these young kids: Rahul Dravid
When asked about India’s performance, Dravid stated that the team management, fans, and everyone else must be patient with this young team because they are likely to have an off day, as they did in the second T20I against Sri Lanka, losing by 16 runs.
“Nobody wants to bowl wides or no-balls, in this format it can hurt you badly. We’ve got to be patient with these young kids. There are a lot of young kids playing, especially in bowling, and they will have games like this at times. We need to understand that. We try to help them technically, we support them and create the right environment. They are very skillful, they are learning. It’s tough to learn on the job in international cricket, so we must be patient,” he added.
