Follow UsLess than five days after the 50-over World Cup final, India and Australia are back in action again as the two sides clash in a five-match T20I series, starting on Thursday (November 23rd) at Visakhapatnam. While Australia have retained about 60% of their World Cup squad, India only have three players who were a part of the 15-man squad for the mega event.
One of them is Ishan Kishan, who after filling in for Shubman Gill in the first two matches, did not make an appearance and spent time carrying drinks. But while Kishan has largely been a fringe player in ODIs, he’s been a regular part of the T20I set-up, at least in the past 18 months or so.
Ahead of the first T20I on Thursday, stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav confirmed that the left-hander will be featuring in the series, having ‘worked really hard’ for the cause of the team across the past couple of months.
“He (Kishan) has been doing really well, we wanted to keep that continuity from last tournament,” Suryakumar said of the left-handed batter.
“He's been working really hard whenever he gets to a practice session. Ishan has been doing really well for us, filling up whenever needed - you saw that in both the Asia Cup and World Cup. I feel he deserves the opportunity.”
However, while confirming that Kishan will feature frequently in the series, Suryakumar revealed that Vidarbha’s Jitesh Sharma is also a ‘front-runner’ for the wicket-keeper’s slot. Kishan being an opener and Jitesh being a finisher makes it a realistic possibility for both players to co-exist in the same XI.
“Both Ishan and Jitesh Sharma are equally front-runners,” Suryakumar said of the wicket-keeper’s slot.
“But we'll definitely take a call tonight, what we want from both of them.”
It is a quick turnaround for both teams and it especially will not be easy for someone like Suryakumar, who only three days ago endured a gut-wrenching loss in the final, having been a part of India’s playing XI. The 33-year-old admitted that it will take a ‘long time’ to get over the heartbreak but insisted that he and the boys are fully geared up for the upcoming T20Is.
"It is difficult. It will take time. I mean it can't be that you get up the next morning and you forget everything that happened," he said of the World Cup heartbreak.
"It was a long tournament and obviously we would have loved to win but then as you say, when you get up in the morning, there's always sunrise again, there's light at the end of the tunnel. You have to forget it. Move on. It's a fresh team. New boys, great energy, so we are really looking forward to this T20 series.”
Having led Mumbai at the state level and having also captained the Mumbai Indians a few times, Suryakumar is no stranger to captaincy. On Thursday, he will be leading India for the first time and the 33-year-old revealed that his messaging to the young squad has been clear - to be selfless and put the team first at all times.
"What I told them [squad] when I met them in the afternoon today was let's be very selfless when we go into the field," Suryakumar said.
"Because I'm a guy who doesn't think too much about the personal milestones and instead thinks of the team's goal. And I've always told them that you have to keep the team first and then whatever comes after that, you can take your call.
“And I've played with them a lot of times during the IPL and a few India games as well, so they know how I function. And it wasn't that difficult and we are really excited to go about in the series."
Suryakumar revealed that, in the forthcoming series, he and the entire team will take inspiration from the way Rohit Sharma played in the World Cup. The 33-year-old was full of praise for the incumbent skipper for ‘walking the talk’ and leading by example.
"What he's done in the World Cup is one thing which will set an example," Suryakumar said of Rohit.
"It was a completely different Rohit Sharma that you saw. I mean, he literally walked the talk; what we spoke about in the team meetings, he did the same thing on the ground. We are very proud of him. As a leader he led by example and we'll try and replicate the same thing."