India is taking on Ireland in two T20Is. While India is off to a winning start in the opening game, skipper Hardik Pandya has voiced the ultimate aim of the side is to be ready for the ICC T20 World Cup.
India is embarking on its long journey of limited-overs contests, as it is currently touring Ireland for a couple of Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). The opening game was held at the Malahide Cricket Club in Dublin on Sunday, with the visitors winning the rain-truncated 12-over contest emphatically. While it will look to seal the series on Tuesday, it will head to England thereon for the same, followed by Windies and Australia at home. In the meantime, India's stand-in skipper for the Ireland tour, Hardik Pandya, has voiced that the upcoming few months would ensure that India is ready for the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia in October-November.
"Our ultimate goal is to get better for the World Cup. It is a good step we have taken that intentionally the players are showing the kind of attitude and the character that will help us during crunch games at the World Cup. You get experience by playing, and that is a conscious effort by the management to get the players they are considering in the squad or scheme of things and give them the best opportunity to get some games under their belt rather than coming into the World Cup and play their first game. We want people to settle in, and by the time the World Cup comes, we will have a tighter squad," Pandya said during the post-match presentation.
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Pandya also applauded debutant Jammu & Kashmir pacer Umran Malik and recorded, "Umran was kept back after I had a chat with him, he's more comfortable with the older ball, and they batted fantastically. So, I hope he gets an opportunity. When you play for India for the first time and his journey, it's essential to give such a bowler and such a talent time."
"Whether it was a good day or a bad day is irrelevant. For him, to play for India is a huge thing, and that is something I'm pleased about [irrespective] of how the result went, good or bad, it's okay. It's part and parcel of the game, but at the same time, from here, he'll only get better the more matches he plays, and it's a big thing for him to play for India, for anyone to play for India. I want to let him enjoy this moment because it doesn't come every time. A debut happens only once," added Pandya.