Picture Credit: IPL
India have already announced their final 15-member squad for the upcoming 2021 T20 World Cup and there is already a lot of excitement around the same. As Virat Kohli's side aims to lift their first ICC trophy in this format since winning the inaugural edition in 2007, there is a fair amount of difference between the two years for India.
While MS Dhoni's arrival as a mentor might give some nostalgia, it must be noted that India's 2007 World Cup squad was a fairly inexperienced one with a lot of youngsters in the side. It was MSD's first major assignment as the captain of Men in Blue with all senior players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid opting out of the tournament.
However, this time around, things are absolutely contrasting as Virat Kohli is leading India for the last time in T20 format. The team is filled with senior players and it is a fairly experienced squad that has been selected for the mega event.
Senior players to be rested after T20 World Cup
Considering the fact that all the players have been playing so much cricket for the last few months right from the Test series against England to the UAE leg of IPL 2021, they would need some much-needed break after the 2021 T20 World Cup.
India are all set to welcome New Zealand for 3-match T20I series, scheduled to take place from November 17 to November 21. While Rahul Dravid is expected to be the interim coach for this series, there is also a likely possibility that senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami would be rested.
IPL star performers expected to get the opportunity
Despite so many big names out of contention, India won't have any major problems coming up with a different squad, something they did during the tour of Sri Lanka. The IPL 2021 star performers are likely to be rewarded for their impressive performances. "Harshal Patel, Venkatesh Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Avesh Khan are likely to get the opportunity in the T20 series against New Zealand," as quoted by PTI.
There is no doubt that the four players mentioned in the report took the tournament by storm and it would be a well-deserved opportunity for them. With so many spots up for grabs, it would be really interesting to see the final Indian squad for the bilateral series, which could feature so many exciting names.