Head coach VVS Laxman promises India will be aggressive when they take on New Zealand in three T20Is.
India lost to England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup after setting a seemingly underwhelming total that the Three Lions chased down without losing a single wicket.
They were accused of being too conservative through the whole tournament and that was compounded by their defeat to England, one of the more risk-averse teams there.
Laxman admitted India might have been a bit too conservative at the World Cup but also stressed that it is important to remain flexible.
“In the T20 format, you are required to play with that freedom, with that fearless attitude,” Laxman said. “But at the same time, it’s important to assess the condition and situation and play to fulfil the needs of the team.
“I think it’s also important to be flexible.”
India have taken the opportunity to test their wider squad of players in leaving captain Rohit Sharma, star batsman Virat Kohli and opener KL Rahul at home.
Laxman explained the decision by pointing towards England’s strategy of having a wide pool of players with diverse skillsets to call on.
“It’s already been proven in T20 cricket that more numbers of bowlers who can bat adds depth to the batting and it allows a lot of freedom to the batsmen to go out and express themselves,” Laxman said.
“That’s the need of the format and I’m sure more and more teams will try to get that into their selection process.”
© Agence France-Presse
