For the second time in 12 months, the management and management of Team India have hit the reset button. On Tuesday night, the selectors announced the T20I squad and the ODI team to play the home series against Sri Lanka from next week, showing that they are looking to the future rather than established names in Indian cricket.

On November 12, a day after England defeated India in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, TOI had reported that the T20I squad would undergo major changes, with Hardik Pandya a contender for the captaincy in the squad. war will do it. it is encouraged to focus on next year's ODI World Cup.

Finally, Pandya was named the T20I captain for the Sri Lanka series after the names of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul were dropped. TOI can confirm that Rishabh Pant has been asked to attend the National Cricket Academy (NCA) from January 3 for a strength session for 15 days to recover from a knee problem.

“Pant was told in Bangladesh that the team wants him to be in absolute shape soon for major assignments next year. He has been given a week’s break because you can’t start intense strengthening sessions immediately after a Test series,” a BCCI source said.

The team's management, led by coach Rahul Dravid, has introduced several youngsters for the T20I series after last year's debacle in the T20 World Cup. In the end, the team's management played it safe and settled on the veteran star.

Even this time, BCCI has not given any reason for excluding Rohit, Rahul, Kohli and Ashwin. It is understood that the BCCI mandarins have spoken to Rohit about his future and he has insisted that he is ready to lead in any format.

However, these are baby steps taken by the selectors led by Chetan Sharma, who themselves don’t know if they will continue in their positions after a few days.
The biggest development has been KL Rahul being sacked as vice-captain in the ODI format with Hardik taking over the role.

“Rahul is walking a tightrope. His approach towards his batting and captaincy have looked insipid. He is comfortable batting down the order in ODIs. He is reluctant to open,” the source said.

“As far as Kohli and Rohit are considered, they have been conveyed that they should focus on the ODI World Cup. The team management has been looking to move on from Shikhar Dhawan in ODIs for a while and this could be the first step. But the likes of Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill will have to step up. The next T2O World Cup is 20 months away. It’s time to rebuild that team.”

Hardik is being seen as the firebrand leader that can transform this team.

“Hardik has been very vocal about India lacking urgency in white-ball cricket. He advocates all-out aggressive cricket. He likes to take responsibility and keep his mates charged in the dressing room. The board is mulling to give Hardik a bigger role in ODI cricket as well,” the source mentioned.

Coaches are cautious about the return of fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah to international cricket. The head coach has confirmed that Bumrah was dismissed before the T20 World Cup which led to his downfall.

“Bumrah is a tricky subject. He will be used for marquee Tests and the white-ball format which has a World Cup approaching. It’s unlikely he will play all formats round the year,” the source said.