New Delhi: Team India was decimated in the Test series versus England and looked as clueless as new born babies with the cricket bats. After the hammering of a lifetime in Tests, Team India has fought back strongly in three tour matches but the real action begins on Wednesday Old Trafford, Manchester.
The upcoming T20 against England provides an opportunity for the Men in Blue to redeem themselves. The team management should carefully select the playing eleven for this match keeping one eye at the upcoming ODI series.
Injuries to Gambhir and Sehwag, has forced the team management to give veteran Rahul Dravid a chance to make his debut in the T20 format at 38 and surprisingly he would call it a day in the shorter format after making his debut. It wouldn’t be surprising if The Wall decides to shed his normal approach and be more aggressive in his batting style.
Selectors should also find this the right match to give opportunities to rookies such as Varun Aaron and Ajinkya Rahane so that they can show off their much talked about skills.
With Virat Kohli tailor made for the shorter format of the game he is a sure shot to bat at No 4. With aggression in batting and fielding it will surely provide much needed energy and enthusiasm to the whole team who's morale is definitely low. Suresh Raina could also find this match as a perfect platform to get back in business after a disastrous outing in the Test series.
Middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma will be one of the key members in the middle order. He has the ability to play an anchor role in the middle and has the ability to shift gear at any given time. The Mumbai Indian batsman is touted as one of the best talents for the future.
In the absence of Harbhajan Singh, MS Dhoni will surely go with R Ashwin and the young off-spinner is one of the vital weapons for Team India. He has the ability to pick wickets and at the same time he is gutsy enough to try variations and can put the breaks on the scoring rate.
With the in-form Praveen Kumar almost a certainty in India's playing eleven, the visitors could use Vinay Kumar as the supporting act from the other end.
