With the likes of captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin and Dinesh Karthik, among others, closer to the end of their careers, former India cricketer and a member of the ICC T20 World Cup-winning team in 2007, Robin Uthappa believes the time is right for a new breed of India players to be given a chance to rise.
India's campaign in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia was halted in the semifinal stage by England, who thrashed them by 10 wickets at the Adelaide Oval to secure a place in the final. Jos Buttler's side will take on Pakistan in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Uthappa, who played a key role in helping India to their only T20 World Cup title in 2007, said a host of batters with little international experience should be given more opportunities to earn a spot in the eleven ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup being hosted jointly by the West Indies and the United States.
"There's certainly room for youngsters now," Uthappa wrote in his column for ICC.
"There are a few gaps to fill in T20 cricket as far as finishers are concerned and they may have to look to the future in that sense," opined the veteran cricketer, who also had a long stint with IPL side Chennai Super Kings.
I Would Like To See Umran Malik in Bowling Attack: Robin Uthappa
Uthappa said he would like to see Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi be given more opportunities. The duo is among the highest scorers in the most recent edition of the Indian Premier League.
"I'd love to see Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi in this side. They are both very exciting, very good young players," said Uthappa.
On the bowling front, Uthappa wants to see inexperienced bowlers be given more opportunities ahead of the next T20 World Cup, although he doesn't expect drastic changes in the team profile prior to the start of the 50-over World Cup in India next year.
"On the bowling side, I'd like to see Umran Malik and Deepak Hooda get an opportunity," he noted. "That said I don't think there will be too many changes in personnel for the 2023 Cricket World Cup on home soil," he said.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)