Reinstated at the helm of India's backroom staff for next two years, head coach Ravi Shastri said building a quality T20 side for back to back World Cups in 2020 and 2021 is among his main priorities, besides, of course, the inaugural World Test Championship.
India hasn't won a T20 World Cup since the first edition in 2007 and Shastri reckons there is definitely need for a fresh start in the shortest format of the game.
"In T20Is, we need to take a fresh perspective and consolidate on the fabulous talent we have. One-day cricket and T20s have vastly different identities and T20 is a wholly different ballgame and that is how we are going to pursue it," he told TOI.
"At best four or maximum five cricketers from the present 50-over setup fit in a T20 perspective right now. We need to begin with that perspective and build on it. In T20Is, we're No. 4 and that's because we've not played those many matches in that format recently. It's still a work in progress and there's a lot more to be done."
"That constant flow of fresh, young talent has to be there. Be it Rishabh or Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Hardik, Mayank, Shankar - they're there, constantly raising their hands up."
"That kind of a pool does wonders when the only objective is to ensure you don't end up with, let's say, any kind of deadwood. The same will happen as we go about building our T20 perspective. There's quite a bit of a talent pool out there that needs constant tapping," Shastri added.
The ODI team is not due to play until December at home against West Indies and there isn't any 50-over ICC event before the 2023 World Cup either but Shastri said the management is definitely going to keep an eye on areas to tweak and get better on.
"That's true but at the same time, we have a good one-day setup that will continue. One of the areas we concentrated on over the last two years was to blood as many youngsters as possible. Shreyas Iyer, for instance, he is going to stay at No. 4. There are more youngsters who will get a look-in."
India begins its Test championship campaign via a two-match Test series during the ongoing tour of West Indies and further plays South Africa, Bangladesh, England at home and New Zealand, Australia away to try and qualify for the marquee final at Lord's in June 2021.
"The beauty of Test cricket is all about playing an opponent in their backyard or defending home turf under challenging conditions over five days. With the Test championship cycle coming in, you add points to that mix," Shastri added.
"The pride attached with Test cricket is now also a point-based format to be played over a period of two years. There's more to take away from the contest, something to show for when the two-year cycle ends."
There were missed opportunities on the Test tours to South Africa, England but Shastri thinks narrow loss to New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final ranks as the lowest point of his journey with Team India so far.
"Those 30 minutes changed everything. We were right there and then it all slipped away. We played some very good cricket through the tournament. We won more matches than any other team, topped the table and that spoke of our dominance. But then, that's sport," he concluded.
(Inputs from TOI)
