India’s stand-in captain Hardik Pandya on Wednesday said that the road map for the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup starts now, adding that going forward a lot of players will get opportunities to stake their claim in the Indian side. The Indian cricket team ended their campaign in the T20 World Cup 2022 on a heartbreaking note as they suffered a 10-wicket defeat against the eventual champions England in the semi-finals.
Hardik Pandya, who will be seen leading the Indian cricket team in the upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand, said that the team needs to overcome their World Cup failure. He said:
“Yes, we all know there is the disappointment of the World Cup but we are professionals and we need to cope with it. How we cope with our success we cope up with our failures and move forward and look forward to getting better rectify our mistakes,”
The next T20 World Cup will be played in 2024 in the West Indies and the United States and the Indian squad is expected to undergo a major transition in the next two years with some of the senior players being eased out of the setup. He said:
“Yes, the next T20 WC is almost two years so we have time (to unearth new talent). A lot of cricket will be played and a lot of people will get enough chances.
“The road map starts from 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,” Pandya said.
“Right now it’s making sure that the boys enjoy playing here. We will talk about the future later,”
The upcoming tour of New Zealand includes 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs and will not feature Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravi Ashwin, Dinesh Karthik, and KL Rahul as they all have been rested for the series. In their absence, the likes of Umran Malik, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, and Sanju Samson have been given a chance to play for the Indian side and Pandya says the upcoming series will be an important one for them in the grand scheme of things. He said:
“The main boys are not here but the same time the talent which the guys who are already here, they have also been playing for one and-a-half, two years now,” he said.
“They have had ample chances and enough time in international cricket to express themselves and show what they have. Very excited for them, new bunch of guys, new energy and excitement. Every series is important. You can’t play an international game thinking its not important. Yes World Cup is there but that’s a different format, it’s 50 overs. But it is an important series for a lot of boys who if they eventually do well here will be able to put a strong case going forward.”
