CHENNAI: The wounds of India's first-ever ODI series loss at home to New Zealand may still be raw but less than 24 hours later, head coach Gautam Gambhir was in Nagpur with the T20I team for a matchday minus two training session. The T20I stars had already assembled in the Orange city for the five-match series against the same opponents while some of the players and the support staff joined them on Monday.
There is no time to reflect or introspect with respect to the ODI series. Indian cricket have to move on to bigger things, at least for the time being. These five T20Is against New Zealand, beginning on Wednesday, are all they have to find some form, figure out combinations and gain some momentum before the World Cup begins on February 7.
While there are a number of things to worry about for captain Suryakumar Yadav, the top of the list would be the fitness of Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar. Varma, who experienced abdominal pain during Vijay Hazare Trophy and underwent surgery, is still recovering and has been ruled out of the first three T20Is. Though he is still named in the last two matches and the T20 World Cup, the selectors went on to add Shreyas Iyer to the T20I series squad in the middle of the ODIs as a precautionary measure. Varma has been the pillar of India's T20I batting in 2025 with Surya struggling for form. So much so that out-of-form Surya moved to No 4, pushing Varma to No 3.
The left-hander's injury and the void it has left meant the selectors and team management have taken the cautious approach by bringing in Shreyas. The Mumbaikar is still not a part of the WC squad but he will want to leave a mark just in case Verma's doesnt recover in time.
Similarly, Washington, another player heavily backed by this team management, suffered A Discomfort in his lower rib area while bowling during the first ODI against New Zealand. He has been out of action since and already ruled out of the T20Is against Kiwis. With his recovery taking longer than expected, Ravi Bishnoi was also added to the squad.
Though Bishnoi is a wrist spinner and not an offie like Washington, the spinner from Rajasthan relies more on his googlies than other variations. He too will be keen to make an impact should he get a chance, especially with Kuldeep Yadav going through a downturn. In T20Is, however, Varun Chakravarthy is India's leading spinner and Axar Patel is a starter. So it will become a toss up between Bishnoi and Kuldeep and India may test the former early on in the series. Then there is Rinku Singh who needs some game time.
The tricky thing about this five-match series is that India will want to get back to winning ways as soon as possible. At the same time, there are a few players, and roles, they have to figure out as back-up options before the marquee event begins. To put it precisely, Gambhir and Surya will have to hit the ground