Young Indian Batters Should Have a Fearless Approach, Says Abhinav Mukund

Nearly a year out from the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Indian side seems to have begun assembling a roster for the premier competition, which will be held in the USA and the West Indies. They have the opportunity to test new players, young players, and alternative combinations throughout the current five-match T20I series.

The fact that Hardik Pandya is still in charge of the T20I squad will allow him the opportunity to evaluate how he wants to go with the resources at his disposal with plenty of time to spare.

However, the series got off with a close four-run loss to the West Indies, and Abhinav Mukund believes that there isn’t much to take away from the performance given that India is trying a new batting order and hasn’t played the format in a while.

Mukund said on JioCinema that “India are playing a young team and playing this format for the first time.” The batting order has changed, and veteran players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja are no longer in the lineup. No (Mohammed) Shami and (Jasprit) Bumrah with the ball, either. I don’t think it’s a major worry.

Apart from Tilak Varma, who made his debut, India failed to get close to the 150-point mark on what seemed to be a sluggish surface.Mukund believes the second T20I would have a similar surface, but he expects India’s batsmen to adopt a brave strategy.

“India’s batting approach was based on the conditions in Trinidad,” said Mukund. “The pitch was sluggish and didn’t leave much room for making strokes. We anticipate a similarly sluggish batting surface for the second T20I, but we also anticipate huge performances from players like Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, who got off to a great start, and maybe even Suryakumar Yadav. The young hitters in the second T20I should play with no fear.

In the first game of the series, India handed fast bowler Mukesh Kumar his international debut. He bowled with captain Pandya and Arshdeep Singh in the pace attack, while Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar handled the spin.

Mukund doesn’t see any adjustments taking place in the bowling division.

“I don’t think there are many changes in the bowling division. Hardik Pandya’s four overs eliminate the possibility of adding another medium pacer. Considering Mukesh Kumar’s performance at the death, I believe he will be allowed to play this game. Despite being a touch undercooked, Arshdeep Singh made a tremendous comeback. Bowling doesn’t undergo a lot of changes, according to Mukund.

“They (India) handled the first game properly; they made a few errors, but generally, I think that if they adopt the proper approach, they will prevail. Given the tight margins in the game, it’s too soon to interpret the outcome as a kind of loss. I think India will recover well because they have a powerful side, he said.