Ravi Shastri tells India to choose new T20I captain, follow England template

India must appoint a new Twenty20 captain and follow England's example to revive their fortunes in that format, former head coach Ravi Shastri said on Thursday.

Rohit Sharma, 35, remains India's captain of all formats, but the team's defeat in Australia's T20 World Cup semi-final has sparked calls to inject fresh blood into the side.

Rohit and fellow batters Virat Kohli and KL Rahul have been rested for India's New Zealand tour, where Hardik Pandya will lead the T20 squad while Shikhar Dhawan will be in charge of the one-day internationals.

I think it wouldn't hurt for T20 cricket to have a new captain because the volume of cricket is so great that it will never be easy for one player to play all three formats of the game, Shastri told on a virtual press conference.

Rohit is already leading in one-day and exhibition matches. There's no harm in identifying a new T20 captain, and if his name is Hardik Pandya, so be it.

The former all-rounder was impressed by England's transformation into a white-ball juggernaut, winning the T20 World Cup on Sunday to become the first team to win both the 50-overs and 20-overs world titles at the same time.

They sat down and said we're going to change our resources, we're going to identify the best players for the format, whether it's T20 or 50-overs cricket, and if it meant certain senior players had to sit out, so be it.

They brought in young people who were fearless, who could adapt to that pattern of the game without having to change too much.

It is a template that is easy to follow. India has a wealth of resources and I think it can start now with this tour.

The 60-year-old did not think it necessary for Indian players to compete in T20 competitions abroad to familiarize himself with those terms.

They play absolutely fine IPL (Indian Premier League) and focus on domestic cricket.

We also need them to play domestic cricket.