With India’s ODI calendar now on pause for the next six months, attention firmly shifts back to the T20I format, where the upcoming five-match series against New Zealand assumes added significance. These games represent India’s final competitive outing before next month’s T20 World Cup, making them as much about fine-tuning combinations as they are about results.

The change in format also brings a change in personnel. Until June, there will be no Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja or KL Rahul in India colours, with Suryakumar Yadav continuing to lead a T20I side that has been remarkably consistent over the past year. India currently sit atop the ICC T20 rankings, are widely regarded as World Cup favourites, and under Suryakumar’s captaincy, remain unbeaten in bilateral T20I series. Last year’s Asia Cup triumph only reinforced the belief that this group has momentum on its side.

Yet, despite the results, a few unresolved issues linger — and this series offers perhaps the last opportunity to address them.

Injuries have complicated matters. Tilak Varma’s absence is a blow, not only to India’s balance but also to the team’s long-term planning. Washington Sundar, meanwhile, is racing against time to regain fitness ahead of the World Cup, adding further uncertainty to the all-rounder slot. Compounding these concerns is Suryakumar’s own form with the bat. While his leadership has been largely successful, his prolonged run of low scores has kept one position in the batting order under constant scrutiny.

As a result, several players enter this series with more to prove than others.

Sanju Samson finds himself firmly in the spotlight once again. With Shubman Gill dropped from T20 World Cup contention, Samson has returned to the conversation and has five matches to strengthen his case as an opener alongside Abhishek Sharma. It is a familiar story for Samson — just when he seemed to have finally secured a regular role in the T20I side after nearly a decade, a recall for Gill pushed him out of the team. A productive series against New Zealand could go a long way in ensuring that history does not repeat itself.

The captain, too, has questions to answer. Suryakumar has often insisted that he is not short of form, merely runs. With the T20 World Cup looming, that distinction is becoming increasingly irrelevant. India need their leader to contribute decisively with the bat, and time is running out.

Tilak’s absence also opens the door for Shreyas Iyer, who has a chance to revive his T20I credentials. Should Iyer feature in the first few matches and make an impression, he could well find himself back in World Cup calculations if Tilak fails to regain full fitness. Alternatively, if the team management opts for Rinku Singh instead, it would place another highly motivated batter in the middle order — one whose recent performances suggest he is ready for a bigger role.

In the bowling department, Kuldeep Yadav’s underwhelming ODI series has left a narrow opening for Ravi Bishnoi to re-enter the picture, though opportunities are likely to be limited. Otherwise, the rest of India’s XI appears largely settled, with Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy forming the core.

The results may matter, but the real focus will be on clarity. By the end of this series, India will hope to have answered most of their lingering questions — and settled on a first-choice combination heading into the World Cup.

India likely playing 11: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Sanju Samson (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Shreyas Iyer/Rinku Singh, 5 Axar Patel, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Shivam Dube, 8 Harshit Rana, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Varun Chakravarthy