Third umpire, not on-field officials, to call front foot no balls in this series
Hyderabad: The likes of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant will be aiming to cement their places in the squad as India continue auditions for next year’s T20 World Cup when they take on the West Indies in a three-match T20 series, starting here on Friday.
India will continue their preparations for the T20 World Cup in Australia and many players, whose places are not yet secure, will try to impress the team management and selectors with their performances against the West Indies.
One such name is Rahul. In the absence of injured opener Shikhar Dhawan, the series will provide the stylish right-handed batsman, who holds a good record in T20s, a very good opportunity to secure his place as Rohit Sharma’s partner up the order.
In 31 T20 Internationals, Rahul has amassed 974 runs at an average of 42.74 with 110 not out being his highest score. He is also a prolific scorer in the IPL. Besides Rahul, another individual who would like to answer his critics with solid performances is Pant. Pant has, of late, come under the scanner for his inconsistent form with the bat and poor glove work. Even his glove-work came under heavy scrutiny and the left-hander was dropped in the longest format of the game and Wriddhiman Saha regained his place in the playing XI. With the selectors bringing in talented Sanju Samson in the squad and talks of Dhoni coming out of his sabbatical soon, it’s high time for Pant to either perform or lose his place in the squad. The series is also huge for Samson.
Although he was named in the T20 squad against Bangladesh, the Kerala ‘keeper-batsman didn’t get a single opportunity in the series and was only picked for this rubber after Dhawan sustained a knee injury while playing for Delhi in the Syed Mushtaq Ali National T20 Championship. It is certain that Pant will be the first choice wicketkeeper but in case he fails again, it remains to be seen whether the team management gives Samson an opportunity, which he certainly deserves.
The Indian pace attack looks menacing with the return of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami. Shami last appeared in a T20I in 2017, while Bhuvneshwar returns to the squad after recovering from a muscle problem.West Indies, on the other hand, would be looking for revenge after being dismantled by India 3-0 in their own backyard in August. On the other hand, Front foot no balls in the T20 and One-Day International series between India and the West Indies will be decided by the third umpire and not the on-field officials. (PTI)