Indian captain Rohit Sharma is confident that young Rishabh Pant will use the upcoming T20I series against West Indies as an “opportunity to express himself” in the absence of the talismanic Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Dhoni, whose batting form has been on the wane, is not part of the Indian team for the three-match series beginning on Sunday, 4 November, presenting Pant with a golden chance to cement his place in India’s limited overs plans.
Senior pro Dinesh Karthik is also part of the 16-man squad, with both Pant and Karthik also finding a place for India’s three-match T20I contest in Australia next month.
"Dhoni has been such a massive player for us, over the years. His experience in the middle will be missed but again Rishabh (Pant) and Dinesh (Karthik) have great opportunity to come and perform and show what they are capable of as well. It gives them an opportunity to express themselves," Sharma, who will return to captaincy duties in the absence of the rested Virat Kohli, told the media on the eve of the game.
Although the looming series is in the T20 format, Sharma termed it an extension of India’s ongoing World Cup preparation.
“We cannot go into the World Cup with limited resources. We need to have options. This gives you a great platform to try and test all these guys,” he said, laying emphasis on the bench strength.
"It's very important because the amount of cricket we play, at the same time we got to see what our bench strength is. The players we are talking of are possible replacements to come and fill in. We have to see the guys who are knocking the door and what they bring to the table,” he said.
"Not just the 15 players, we got to see what is outside the 15 players we have. There are a lot of new faces in the team," he added.
India have called up uncapped left-arm spin duo of Krunal Pandya and Shahbaz Nadeem, who returned List A world-record figures of 8/10 for Jharkhand in the recently-concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy.
“Nadeem has come in the team for the first time, Krunal (Pandya) was part of the team but didn’t play any games,” Sharma said.
"These are the few names who have come and we got to see them what they have in their armoury for us to make the best possible squad in the World Cup," he added.
Talking about captaincy, Sharma said he's a batsman first but has enjoyed the extra responsibility as a stand-in leader.
"It has helped me overall. I have enjoyed captaincy whenever I have got an opportunity and it does bring in a sense of responsibility. When you lead the side, you always want to lead from the front," he said.
The 31-year-old has his priorities clear – he is a batsman first and then a leader.
"I do understand that more so I am a player first, then a captain. My job as a player of the squad is to go out there and do well for the team. Captaincy is something I have enjoyed for the last few years,” he said.
"I am still a stand-in captain and of course whenever I have led IPL team, I have enjoyed my time. It has made me understand my game a lot better and made me understand my teammates better," he added.
West Indies, for their troubles elsewhere, are a potent side in T20 cricket – evidenced by two World T20 titles, the last of which came after denying India in the semi-finals in 2016 – and Sharma acknowledged that fact.
"They are a dangerous team. They are one of the strongest sides in the world when it comes to T20s. We have seen that in the past. The way the approach this format in particular. We cannot forget all that as a team," he said ahead of the series opener in Kolkata.
The Eden Gardens, incidentally, is a special venue for the Caribbeans. The last T20I at this stadium saw their current captain, Carlos Brathwaite, smash four sixes off the final over to clinch the 2016 World T20 final against England.
“They have more experience. It’s a format they enjoy the most and they have had a lot of success as well. They will be a strong opposition without doubt,” Sharma said.
"It's not going to be easy for us just to go there and win. We have to play our best cricket to beat them. The focus will be on our team rather than what they do as a team. We do understand what they bring to the table," Sharma said, signing off.
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