New Zealand great Scott Styris has weighed in on India's problems of plenty, saying that the impactful performances that are being dished out by youngsters are eventually going to make it tough for the senior members of the team to justify their places in the side if their performances dry up. Despite the absence of top stars such as Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and KL Rahul, Team India has been able to continue their juggernaut in world cricket by coming up with stellar performances in T20 cricket, with its young brigade leading the way.
Kohli and Bumrah might be automatic picks when they return, but what about the rest? Styris has raised an interesting point, particularly about India opener KL Rahul, who is currently sidelined from the team on account of health issues. Styris' take is rather engaging, especially because in Rahul's absence, the likes of Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav have presented a case for themselves as openers for events like the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup.
"It's a different mindset for players because they don't want to be out and they don't want to be giving other players opportunities. I know India has a very good culture within its group, so it doesn't mind allowing other players opportunities all the time. I know as a player myself, you never wanted to give somebody else a chance to take your spot," Styris said on SPORTS18's daily sports news show 'Sports Over The Top'.
Rahul was supposed to captain India in the home T20I series against South Africa but a day before, the India batter injured his groin and was out of action. He underwent surgery in Germany and looked set to be back in action in the ongoing T20I series against West Indies. He had even posted pictures and videos of his rehab but right when his comeback looked set, Rahul was struck by Covid-19. Rahul will be touring Zimbabwe with the Indian team but by Asia Cup, whether he will have enough match form behind him remains to be seen.
{{/usCountry}}Rahul was supposed to captain India in the home T20I series against South Africa but a day before, the India batter injured his groin and was out of action. He underwent surgery in Germany and looked set to be back in action in the ongoing T20I series against West Indies. He had even posted pictures and videos of his rehab but right when his comeback looked set, Rahul was struck by Covid-19. Rahul will be touring Zimbabwe with the Indian team but by Asia Cup, whether he will have enough match form behind him remains to be seen.
{{/usCountry}}"With the fact that he's out injured and he's away from the team at the moment, it just means that other players are able to do what Suryakumar is doing, what Rishabh Pant is doing, getting in there, taking the chance scoring runs and really posing the selectors some questions saying, do we actually need KL Rahul? Is he going to be in good form when he comes back? He has missed a lot of cricket, a lot of question marks now present themselves just because he's been able to give other players that opportunity," added the former New Zealand all-rounder.