According to the reports, KL Rahul is expected to lead the Men in Blue against the Black Caps in the upcoming T20 series. New Zealand will tour India for the three T20I and two test matches. The T20Is will be played on November 17 in Jaipur, November 19 in Ranchi, and November 21 in Kolkata. The two Tests will be played in Kanpur (November 25-29) and Mumbai (December 3-7).
Speaking to ANI, a BCCI source confirmed that Rahul is the front runner for the job. “The seniors would need a breather and it is no secret that KL Rahul is an integral part of the team’s T20 structure. He is almost certain to lead,” the source said.
The homes series will also see the return of crowds to the stadium, but with an eye on the COVID-19 protocols. BCCI has confirmed that they’re confident to have limited crowds back in the stadium.
“Yes, we will have fans coming in, but it won’t be full capacity. We will work closely with the local authorities and plan the way forward,” a BCCI official said.
Sometimes you need a break: Jasprit Bumrah
During the post-match press conference, Jasprit Bumrah pointed out that the bubble-life has taken a toll on the Indian cricketers. Virat Kohli & Co. had played back-to-back tournaments for the last few months. After completing the Test series in England, within two days the team arrived in UAE for the IPL. The conclusion of the T20 league immediately saw them head into the T20 World Cup.
Sometimes you need a break. You miss your family sometimes. You’ve been on the road for six months. So all of that sometimes play on the back of your mind. But when you’re on the field, you don’t think of all those things. You don’t control a lot of things, how the scheduling goes on or what tournament is played when.
So obviously staying in a bubble and staying away from your family for such a long period of time does play a role in the player’s mind as well. But they also tried their best to make us feel comfortable. But this is the time which we’re living in right now. It’s a difficult time. There’s a pandemic going on. So we try to adapt. But sometimes bubble fatigue, mental fatigue also creeps in, that you’re doing the same thing again and again and again. So it is the way it is, and you can’t control a lot of it here,” he said.