Having sealed the ODI series with a convincing 3-0 scoreline, Team India will switch to the shortest format for a three-match T20I assignment against New Zealand. The opening game of the series will be played in Ranchi on Friday, January 27.
India will be without several high-profile players, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah. Even the likes of Mohammed Siraj are not part of the side.
Prithvi Shaw, however, found a place in the squad after a long and controversial hiatus. The young batter last played an international match in July 2021 and has played only one T20I for India, but it might be time to incorporate him into the side in the lead-up to the 2024 T20 World Cup.
India’s T20I squad against New Zealand: Hardik Pandya (captain), Suryakumar Yadav (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Prithvi Shaw, Mukesh Kumar
Here are three reasons why Prithvi Shaw should be part of India’s playing XI for the first T20I against New Zealand.
As mentioned earlier, Shaw hasn’t been in the mix in T20I cricket, having turned out just once for India in the format. He has been out of the white-ball setup for almost two years now, and in the meantime, the likes of Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad have been part of the squads.
However, while Gill and Gaikwad are immensely talented players who have everything it takes to be successful in T20I cricket, they arguably aren’t ready right now. They are at their best in the 50-over format, and it could even be argued that Deepak Hooda belongs in that category.
Shaw, whose game is perfectly tailored to T20s, should be ahead of the others in the pecking order even though they have been part of the side longer. India need to be careful not to mix formats.
India’s T20I side have struggled to find players who can keep the momentum going throughout the innings, and the opening combinations in particular have come under scrutiny.
The Men in Blue haven’t utilized the powerplay effectively of late, and bringing in a dasher like Prithvi Shaw will help greatly in that regard. The 23-year-old rarely eats up balls and finds the boundary regularly against both pace and spin during the field restrictions.
This would not only help India get off to a fast start, something that is essential in modern-day T20 cricket, but also take pressure off the likes of Rahul Tripathi and Suryakumar Yadav. The duo are the primary intent machines in the batting order and the latter in particular has had too much on his shoulders.
There’s a reason why fans and experts have been clamoring for Prithvi Shaw’s inclusion in the T20I side. Talking about just batting ability, not many can hold a candle to the young opener in the shortest format.
Shaw has a T20 strike rate of 151.67, with almost 2,500 runs in the format. Over the course of his IPL career, he strikes at 147.45 against some of the best bowlers in the world. He may not be very agile or consistent, but he can give the team match-winning starts.
Everyone knows what Prithvi Shaw is capable of, and it’s about time he displays the same on the international stage.
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