Nov 16, 2022, 12:30 PM IST
Stand-in Twenty20 International (T20I) captain Hardik Pandya on Wednesday said that the road map for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 will start now, adding that from now on, quite a few players would be given opportunities to bet their claim in the side. India's T20WC 2022 hopes terminated with a 10-wicket rout versus eventual tw0-time champion England in the semi-finals. Pandya, who will lead the Indians in the three-game T20I series versus New Zealand from Friday, said that the unit needs to overcome its T20WC letdown.
"Yes, we all know there is a disappointment in the World Cup, but we are professionals and need to cope. How we cope with our success, we cope with our failures and move forward and look forward to rectifying our mistakes," Pandya briefed the media during the series trophy launch ceremony in Wellington on Wednesday.
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The next T20WC will be played in 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA), and the Indian crew is foreseen to undergo a significant evolution in a subsequent couple of years, with the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma among others being unhurriedly eased out of the setup.
"Yes, the next T20 WC is almost two years, so we have time. A lot of cricket will be played, and many people will get enough chances. The road map starts now. But it's too fresh right now. We have a lot of time, so we will sit down and have conversations on those grounds. Right now, it's making sure that the boys enjoy playing here. We will talk about the future later," Pandya communicated.
The white-ball tour of New Zealand that includes three T20Is and as many One-Day Internationals (ODIs) will not feature Kohli, Rohit, wicketkeeper-opener KL Rahul, keeper-finisher Dinesh Karthik and veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin. All have been rested as part of the "workload management of players".
In their absence, Shubman Gill, Umran Malik, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson have been given a prospect and Pandya voices that it will be an essential series for them in the grand scheme. "The main boys are not here, but at the same time, the talent which the guys already here have also been playing for one and a half, two years now. They have had ample chances and enough time in international cricket to express themselves and show what they have," he said.
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"Very excited for them, a new bunch of guys, new energy and excitement. Every series is essential. You can only play an international game if it's necessary. Yes, World Cup is there, but that's a different format. It's 50 overs. But it is an important series for many boys who, if they eventually do well here, will be able to put a strong case as we advance," added Pandya.
'We don't need to prove anything to anyone'
In a demeaning column after the semi-final failure, former English skipper Michael Vaughan composed that India has accomplished truly zero since conquering the ICC World Cup 2011 at home and has been the most under-performing white-ball gang in history.
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Asked about Vaughan's remarks, Pandya articulated, "I don't think we need to prove anything to anyone. When you don't do well, people will have their opinion, which we respect. I understand people have different points of view. Being at the international level, we don't need to prove anything to anyone. It's a sport. You keep trying to improve, and eventually, when the result is supposed to happen, it will happen. There are things we need to work on. In the future, we will rectify and work on it."
(With inputs from PTI)