Tags: New Zealand tour of India, 2021,
India vs New Zealand, 1st T20I at Jaipur, Nov 17, 2021,
India,
New Zealand,
Kannaur Lokesh Rahul,
Rohit Gurunath Sharma
Published on: Nov 16, 2021
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Team India’s new T20 vice-captain KL Rahul has stated that he is excited to work with Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid as the team looks to rebuild after a disastrous T20 World Cup campaign. Rohit has been named the new leader of the T20 team while Dravid has taken over from Ravi Shastri as head coach.
The first assignment of the new leadership group in charge will come during the home series against New Zealand, which kicks-off on November 17. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the series, Rahul said that Rohit’s leadership style will bring calmness into the dressing room. He commented, “We have all seen him in the IPL and his stats are for everybody to see. He has a great understanding of the game and tactically he is really good and that is why he has been able to achieve what he has as a leader.
“He will bring a lot of calm into the dressing room. The next few weeks will be exciting to know what kind of goals he has for the team and what kind of template we are looking to play. In a team sport it is always a collective effort and decision. The job of the leadership group is to ensure that everybody is clear about their roles and feeling secure in the team and it will be an exciting challenge to create that kind of atmosphere,” Rahul added.
Going into the T20 World Cup 2021 as favourites, India were ousted before they could reach the semis. Rahul admitted that the management needs to sit down and work on a template of what works best for the team. He added, “We all need to sit down together and make a collective call on what is the best template or the best brand of cricket that we need to play to make sure that India is getting better performances. It will be a discussion we will have in the next couple of days. It all starts from here.”
Rahul also hailed new coach Dravid, recalling that, as a youngster, he did pick his brain to try and understand the game better. Speaking about the Indian legend, Rahul added, “As a coach he has has been with the boys around the country and to have him in the set up is a great opportunity to learn from, we all know what a big name he is and the kind of things he has done for our country.”
The first T20I of the three-match India-New Zealand series will be played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on November 17
–By A Cricket Correspondent
