Pune, December 20: As the Indian team went through its rigours on the eve of the first T20 against England, one couldn't stop thinking if India are gradually going the English way.
Parvinder Awana and Ambati Rayudu, if they get to play on Thursday, at 26 and 27 respectively, won't be the youngest of debutants for India. Ashok Dinda, 28, has played only five T20s so far. And we thought the subcontinent was flooded with teenage prodigies and veterans were handed their maiden caps only in England!
On the other hand, the old colonial power seems to have taken the cue from the Asian teams. So, there is the 21-year old Joe Root, who played a mature knock in Nagpur, and Jonny Bairstow, who at 23 already has two Test half-centuries under his belt.
At the helm is Eoin Morgan, who was promoted from vice captaincy after Stuart Broad was ruled out with an injury. At 26, he is five years younger to his Indian counterpart.
Not that the English team is overflowing with world class talent, but the idea is clear - use the T20 as a platform for the young blood to get a taste of international cricket. And the England selectors have shown the 'guts' to experiment with captaincy as well.
It's here the Indians might realise in hindsight that they have missed an opportunity.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been under fire in recent weeks and this was the right time to give him a break. Without debating his worthiness as captain and a batsman, he needed some rest for the sake of managing the workload, especially ahead of what could be an emotionally charged series against Pakistan.
In contrast, rival skipper Alastair Cook has gone back home for a well-deserved rest following the successful Test campaign.
Dhoni was handed the T20 captaincy when the Big Three of the Indian team at that time decided for themselves that playing all formats wasn't in the best interest of either their own career or that of the team. The feisty cricketer from Ranchi stands at similar crossroads.
Gautam Gambhir is in similar shoes and with his opening partner from Delhi Virender Sehwag not available for selection, the southpaw would feel the pressure to deliver that much more. Another player who would be watching over his shoulder is Yuvraj Singh. Ironically, both the batsmen made an impact in the 2007 World T20 and would hope the sight of the familiar foe would re-ignite their form.
The players to watch out for would be Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu and Awana. The three have shown promise and they would be ready to be thrown at the deep end.
Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja provide the form in batting while Virat Kohli would look to finish the year the way he started, on a high.
Offie R Ashwin would spearhead the attack while leggie Piyush Chawla is another slow bowling option.
Abhimanyu Mithun, who has come in as a replacement's replacement, would be keen to impress as well.
The pitch might not offer any help for bowlers but the wintry Pune evening would help the new ball swing.
TEAMS (FROM):
India: Mahendra Sing Dhoni (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Ambati Rayudu, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla, Ashok Dinda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun and Parvinder Awana.
England: Eoin Morgan (capt), James Harris, Jonny Bairstow, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Butler, Jade Dernbach, Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Stuart Meaker, Samit Patel, Joe Root, James Tredwell and Luke Wright.
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