“Going forward, we will definitely keep an eye out for him,” India’s T20 captain says of Venkatesh Iyer

“When you’re playing bilaterals, you need to tick certain boxes, and we are trying to do that,” Rohit said. “We are trying to create a healthy atmosphere, giving the younger players security so that players can go out and play fearlessly.

“In the first meeting that we had, we spoke about this very clearly. Told them that ‘if you’re trying to do something for the team, that act will never get unnoticed; you will be noticed when you raise your hand and try to take pressure on yourself and try to do something for the team’. That’s the job of the captain and coach. To tell the players that ‘we do understand what you’re trying to do for the team’.

“You tell them to take their chances, and if it doesn’t come off, you still back them because we know what they are trying to do for the team.”

“Seeing the talent pool of India, it is not easy,” Rohit said. “Most of the guys sitting outside have also done very well. It’s not easy, only 11 can play, we know that. It’s always tough, but we will try our best that whenever our players step out, they do not have any baggage.”

Rohit said the team acknowledged that changing batting positions so drastically could be tough on the newcomer, his skills as a medium-pace bowler made him a tempting option.

“The plan is to keep Iyer in the mix as much as we can,” Rohit said. “At the same time, we need to give him a role to bat where he usually doesn’t bat for his franchise. It’s going to be slightly tough for him to bat down the order. We’ve given him a role to bat at No. 5, 6 or 7 and see if he can do the job for us.

“Today, he looked composed, he was clear in his mindset, and he has a very good approach. And you saw his bowling skills, looks a very, very bright prospect for us. He can get the job done for us, it’s about giving him the confidence and making him play as much as he can. It’s still very early days – been just three games. He’s not had much of an opportunity to make an impact but going forward, we will definitely keep an eye out for him.

“The more depth we have the better it is for us. But for now, the way our bowling is going, and the way we have bowled, you don’t need a sixth or seventh bowler if the five players bowl well. But as a captain, it’s a good cushion to have.”

‘Fielding, bowling biggest positives’
Looking back at the series win, Rohit said that there were two standout positives for India. First, the fielding, which saved them around 15 runs each in the first two games, and secondly, how they managed to restrict New Zealand in the first two games despite being put on the back foot early on.

“Along with Axar, both of these guys are wicket-taking options, and when they bowl, it’s never about surviving for them. It’s about ‘how I can get the batter out, or how I can put pressure on the batter’.”