West Indies T20Is vital for transitional Indian team ahead of 2024 World Cup

Five T20Is in the West Indies, two months before the ODI World Cup and with several holes in India’s one-day team left to be plugged against the backdrop of key players not yet fit, do seem a bit odd, don’t they?

Well, this is the international cricket calendar of 2023, after all, a year in which three new lucrative T20 leagues have emerged and the future of the ODI format is being widely debated and England’s ‘Bazball’ approach dividing opinions while treating cricket fans to one of the most engaging Test series of recent years.

Now while this Indian team management will never say it – I mean, Rohit Sharma in December said they weren’t looking at the World Cup, and India were beaten by Bangladesh just after – there is the next T20 World Cup in June 2024, a tournament for which India’s squad will no doubt be shaped by a blend of proven performers and this year’s IPL success stories. These five T20Is versus West Indies, running from August 3 to 13 in Tarouba, Providence and Florida, may evoke a yawn from many Indian cricket fans to go with plenty of raised eyebrows given how wobbly the ODI team looks ahead of the World Cup in October, but if you scratch the surface there is plenty riding on the series.

Included in India’s squad are Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik and Ravi Bishnoi, players who could and should shape the look of India’s T20I World Cup squad next June. These names are not yet fixtures in India’s T20I setup but if they grab their opportunities in the West Indies, they might end up going to next year’s tournament. Because if you look at India’s squad for their next T20I assignment, which is three matches in Ireland later this month, the lies of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna and Shahbaz Ahmed have been named, which indicates that the selectors are casting the net wide on the road to the 2024 World Cup.

Now cast a glance at India’s Asian Games squad, which will be official T20Is. Plenty of names from the squad for the West Indies series and Ireland matches have been included – the Asian Game overlaps with the ODI World Cup – and Shivam Mavi, Rahul Tripathi and Prabhsimran Singh have been added, while the standby list comprises Yash Thakur, Sai Kishore, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda and Sai Sudarshan.

If ever you needed proof that India’s white-ball bench strength is in good health, look at the squad for these three T20I assignments.

Thus, coming back to these five matches in the West Indies, there is enough to keep us interested even while many of us fret over India’s recent “experiments” with the ODI team and the doubts over Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul returning for the World Cup. India’s T20I team needs fresh blood and fresh thinking, because the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup from 2022 are proof that the existing template isn’t working. It is time for the fringe players and uncapped pool to deliver on their promise and potential and usher in a new era of T20I cricket for India, with a firm eye on the 2024 World Cup.

With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having seemingly been jettisoned from the T20I format – neither has played a single T20I since the 2022 World Cup – the Hardik Pandya era is well and truly underway, even though the returning Bumrah will lead India in Ireland a couple of weeks from now. Rohit and Kohli exiting has opened the door for Shubman Gill, Kishan and the uncapped Jaiswal to flourish as opening options and Suryakumar Yadav to settle into the No 3 position, where he is best suited and from where he has dazzled us all. KL Rahul’s struggles even before he injured himself during the IPL suggest he should also be replaced, and thus Varma and Rinku should be given chances in the middle order. Rishabh Pant will return, but until then Samson can be tried in the middle order and as occasional wicketkeeper.

It is good that Ravi Bishnoi has been recalled, for his brand of spin can aid India for many years. However, with Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav in the T20I squad, Bishnoi might have to run drinks for a while. Arshdeep has been a very good addition to India’s T20I setup and after a lengthy gap, here’s hoping he can settle back into his groove. Umran is an outside shot for the ODI World Cup, so if he does well in these T20Is he could easily press his case for selection.

So, are these five T20Is in a World Cup year meaningless? It may seem so to many, but don’t be so complacent in your judgement. A new era is starting for India in this format, and it offers much excitement.