‘Follow the template of England': Ravi Shastri's blunt advice for Team India in T20Is

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has weighed on India's approach in T20Is ahead of the first T20I match between India and New Zealand on Friday.

Team India is in hot soup since its loss to eventual champions England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2022. Add to that, the criticism over the stark difference between the style of batting that England showcased and how Team India batted in the match. As per cricket experts, England's batting was aggressive and upbeat while India's was timid and outdated. The flak for the men in blue is accentuated by the fact that India hasn't won any ICC Trophy since clinching the Champions Trophy in 2013.

Ravi Shastri has emphasised on the need to groom youngsters on the lines of England cricket and identify their roles for the next T20 World Cup (Getty)

Critics go by the fact that in the semi-final between India and England, Rohit Sharma and Co. scored just 38 runs in six overs in the powerplay while their counterparts amassed 63 runs in the same phase, a difference of 25 runs between the two. After 10 overs, England had raced to 98/0 while India were 62/2 at the same stage. The aggressive brand of T20 cricket showcased by England grabbed quite a few eyeballs in India.

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has weighed on India's approach in T20Is ahead of the first T20I match between India and New Zealand on Friday. Shastri has advised Team India to follow England's example and play fearless cricket. He has emphasised on the need to groom youngsters on the lines of England cricket and identify their roles for the next T20 World Cup which will be held in 2024. "There's an opportunity with this team in the future to identify roles for players, identify match-winners, and go pretty much on the template of England," said Shastri.

Heaping praise on the England cricket team, the former India cricketer highlighted their dramatic turnaround since the 2015 World Cup. "They are one team that really caught the bull by the horns after the 2015 World Cup. They sat down and said they are going to identify the best players for that format of the game - whether it's T20 or 50-over cricket. Which meant that if they are some senior players, and have to sit out, so be it. And they got in youngsters who were fearless, and could adapt to that pattern of the game," explained Shastri.

"It's a template that can be followed easily, India has got a wealth of resources and it can start from this tour (India tour of New Zealand). It's a fresh young side, you can identify, groom this team," he added. Currently Team India is touring New Zealand, without head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma. Hardik Pandya has been made the skipper in T20Is while Shikhar Dhawan will be at the helm in the ODIs for the tour.