India take on New Zealand in the first of the three-match T20I series beginning at Wellington on Friday, November 18.
After the World Cup debacle in the UAE last year, India did adopt an aggressive batting approach but by the time the next edition came knocking, the top-order was found wanting and failed to take the attack to the opposition.
India found themselves running in circles as the wait for their first ICC trophy in nine years got longer.
With the next T20 global event two years away, India have enough time to identify and groom the players for an attack-at-all costs approach displayed by England.
Hardik Pandya, who could lead the team in the next T20 showpiece, will be captaining the side in Rohit Sharma's absence.
Stand-in head coach VVS Laxman has indicated that the management will be keen to add only T20 specialists to meet the requirement of the modern game. Though the focus has shifted to ODIs ahead of the World Cup next year, India would like to make most of the T20 games here and the nine more they play before the 50-over mega event.
Squads:
India: Hardik Pandya (c), Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway (wk), Lockie Ferguson, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner
When: November 18
Where to Watch: Doordarshan
Live Streaming: Amazon Prime video app
Timing: 12:00 pm IST onwards
