Fresh guard: Rohit -Dravid era begins

Rahul Dravid’s first assignment as  India coach will see a new-look  side - led by Rohit Sharma - take  on World Cup finalists New Zealand in a  three-match T20I series, which begins  in Jaipur on Wednesday.

The duo in the next 11 months  will underline the ‘Men In Blue’’s  template and philosophy in the  shortest format after it became  clear that some rejigging will be  needed as a part of course correction.

Despite forming an integral  part of India’s T20 side over recent years, all-rounder Hardik  Pandya has been omitted, with the  uncapped trio of Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan earning  call-ups.

Star IPL performer Venkatesh Iyer has been  brought in as Hardik’s replacement and the  three games  is likely to  give an indication if  he can be  g roomed  for the  much needed  fast bowling allrounder’s slot.

India can also do with more power  hitters in the batting department and  Venkatesh, who played for KKR this  IPL, has shown his ability to hit long and  big.

The other  IPL performers who have  b e e n  picked  in the  squad  are Ruturaj Gaikwad,  Harshal Patel, Avesh  Khan a n d  Yuzvendra  Chahal, who  makes a  comeback after controversially being  left out of the World Cup squad.

With Jasprit Bumah rested for the  series, India will be looking to find another pacer, who can consistently clock  140kmph and above. As it was seen in  the UAE, the extra pace always comes in  handy, bringing Avesh and Mohammad  Siraj into the picture.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was not  at his best in the UAE, has been  given another opportunity to  find his A-game.

The think tank comprising  skipper Rohit Sharma and  head coach Rahul Dravid  will also assess a player’s  utility keeping the Australian conditions in mind as  the country hosts the World  Cup in less than 12 months’  time.

There are five shortest  format openers in the side and slotting  them in various middle-order positions  will be a challenge.

Rohit and vice-captain K L Rahul are  expected to open on Wednesday but India might be tempted to experiment in  the presence of more options like Ishan  Kishan and Gaikwad. In fact, even Venkatesh got all his runs opening for KKR  but he is set to bat in the middle-order.

Suryakumar Yadav could not find  his rhythm during the World Cup but  he is one player India would be looking  to groom at number four, especially for  the true pitches in Australia.

In the absence of rested Ravindra  Jadeja, Axar Patel can fill the spin bowling all-rounder slot while R Ashwin is  expected to retain his place in the playing eleven after an impressive whiteball comeback in the UAE.

India had only five bowlers to choose  from for most part of the World Cup  while other top teams had up to seven  options. Therefore, one might see one  of the specialist batters rolling his  arm over.

Their opponents New Zealand, who  effectively knocked India out of the  World Cup, have reached Jaipur on a  chartered flight from Dubai with little  time to reflect on their loss to Australia  in the title clash.

Head coach Gary Stead has already  spoken about how the challenges  his team faces, having to regroup so  quickly after a draining event like the  World Cup.

Skipper Kane Williamson has been  given rest for the T20s so that he is fresh  for the following Test series. Seasoned  pacer Tim Southee will lead the team in  his absence.

However with Trent Boult for the  company and dangerous Daryl Mitchell in the top-order, New Zealand will be  more than a handful in this series.

New Zealand could give opportunities  to players who did not have much to do  in the UAE including Kyle Jamieson  who only played the warm-up games.

One of the interesting match-ups  will be skipper Rohit against Ish Sodhi  as the India captain has had problem  against wrist spinners in the past.