India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate acknowledged the prospect of handing chances to youngsters Harshit Rana, Tilak Varma and others to prove their mettle in the final game of the T20I series against Bangladesh in Hyderabad. The first two T20Is saw two new faces; Delhi-tearaway Mayank Yadav and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy dazzling around in national colours. While Mayank had his charm with the new ball, Nitish was charismatic with his elegant timing of the shot and consistency with the ball.
With the series done and dusted, India will step into the stadium for the third T20I to complete a series sweep over the Tigers.
With the squad consisting of young brimming talents, Ryan ten Doeschate dropped a subtle hint about India trying new faces in the final T20I.
“Yeah, that was always the plan. Obviously, there’s nice depth in the squad, and a lot of guys have got IPL experience. We try to expose as many guys as we can to international experience with what we’ve got coming up. So someone like Harshit Rana we’re keen to give a game to. Obviously, Tilak came into the squad a bit later,” he said in the pre-match press conference on the eve of the final T20I against Bangladesh.
“Jitesh is there as well, but we want to give Sanju another chance. So there are options, and certainly the plan originally was to win the series, get the series won and then try a few new faces for the last game,” Ryan added.
Since the era of Gautam Gambhir dawned on Indian cricket, experimentation with familiar and new faces has become a constant theme, especially in the shortest format of cricket.
However, Ryan emphasised that opportunities are not given but earned by the new played under the new regime that has been soaring to new heights.
“I mean, the first thing I’ll say is we don’t give opportunities. The guys earn opportunities. Someone like Nitish, an emerging player of the IPL last year, ‘s impressed us with the work he’s done, and that goes for everyone who comes into these squads. They’re very carefully selected,” he added.
After the conclusion of the Bangladesh series, India will have more pressing matters to attend to. India will immediately shift its focus from white-ball cricket to Test format as they prepare to host New Zealand for three Tests, beginning on October 16.
The Rohit Sharma-led side will travel to Australia next month for the highly anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy, which will last till early January.
India will then have almost a month to fine-tune its squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled to begin in Pakistan. Following the marquee event, a possible spot in the final of the ICC World Test Championship could be awaiting the Rohit Sharma-led side at the Lord’s.
The WTC final will be followed by a gruelling challenge in which India will play five Tests in England.
With a jam-packed schedule, Ryan asserted that the focus of the Indian team is to build a pool of players who are prepared for the challenge that lies ahead of them.
“100 per cent. I think it’s shown in the way we’ve played. The Test match in Kanpur was a great example. We’re trying to push the limits of what we can do as a team. We’ve obviously got the quality to do it. And then it’s about giving the players the belief to do it in a safe space, to know that if it’s not going to go right, it’s also okay,” he said.
“The message has been pretty consistent with that. We want guys to expand their own games. We want to move cricket forward like it is going with the times. And we want to be prepared for the big crunch months that are coming up in the next 18 months,” Ryan remarked.
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