With a 168-run victory in the 3rd T20I, which was the series decider, India clinched another home series by defeating New Zealand 2-1, following on from a 3-0 ODI series win. Not only this is India’s biggest-ever win in T20Is, but it is also the biggest margin of victory in any T20I between two full member nations.
Shubman Gill was the star of the night in Ahmedabad, as the 23-year-old hit his maiden ODI ton, while Hardik Pandya was named the Player of the Series for his terrific all-round performance throughout the 3 matches.
Here are the 3 biggest positives for Team India from their T20I series win against New Zealand:
Shubman Gill seals opening spot
There is no certainty that Rohit Sharma will ever play a T20I again; India have only one T20I series left before the ODI World Cup, after which Sharma might even retire from white-ball formats. He hasn’t played any of the three T20I series after last year’s T20 WC.
Now, Shubman Gill, with the highest score by an Indian batsman, seems to have sealed the opening spot in T20Is, after doing it in the ODIs in the last month. There had been qualms about Gill’s effectiveness in the T20 format. However, with a bumper IPL 2022 season for Gujarat Titans and his brilliant hundred in Ahmedabad, where New Zealand were bowled out for 68, Gill put those doubts to bed. Gill sealing his opening spot in the T20I team is now one less headache for the management.
Rahul Tripathi’s intent-filled batting, but needs more consistency
Of his 5 T20I innings so far, Rahul Tripathi has gone past the 15-run mark twice, and both the times he ensured that he hogged the limelight until the time he was at the crease because of his ultra-aggressive tempo: against Sri Lanka in Rajkot, he scored 35(16), and vs New Zealand in Ahmedabad, he scored 44(22).
Tripathi’s aggressive batting allows his batting partner – whether an opener or Suryakumar or Pandya – to anchor the innings while he takes on the bowlers. A little more consistency is now what the management will ask from Tripathi, who is set to get more chances in the future.
Arshdeep Singh’s superb comeback after one bad game
Arshdeep suffered a minor injury ahead of the Sri Lanka series, and was rusty when he returned. He had a forgettable game in Pune, where he conceded 37 runs in only 2 overs. He bounced back strongly with a three-for in the next game.
But he had another bad game, this time in Ranchi against New Zealand, where he was conceded 27 runs in the last over and bowled multiple no-balls in the match. India lost by 21 runs.
However, despite the spanking in Rajkot, India trusted Arshdeep to deliver in the death – not only he’s one of the best in India, there aren’t any better options in that phase than Arshdeep, barring Bumrah who is injured.
In 2 overs in Lucknow, Arshdeep picked 2 wickets for only 7 runs, bowling in the death overs. In Ahmedabad, he showcased his terrific new ball skills, by dismissing Conway and Chapman, finishing with 2/16 in 3 overs and ending the series on high confidence.
Arshdeep’s character and temperament in bouncing back from setbacks in these two series have been applaudable, and the management knows that he’s a special bowler who is standing up more often than not.
