India, Jan. 20 -- For the second time in the last 15 months, New Zealand have secured a bilateral series win against India on Indian soil, a 3-0 Test sweep in November 2023 followed by a 2-1 ODI victory last week. Both defeats came under Gautam Gambhir's tenure as head coach, inevitably raising questions around India's decision-making and selection calls. But as India take on New Zealand in the T20I series starting Wednesday (January 21), the narrative should move away from revenge or payback. Instead, this series presents Gambhir with an opportunity to play the long game and settle lingering questions about his final T20 World Cup XI.

India announced their World Cup squad weeks ago and, on paper, appear far clearer about their combinati...