(From left) Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, coach Rahul Dravid, batting coach Vikram Rathour, and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah during India's net session ahead of their three-match T20I series The three-match Sri Lanka T20I series is the last for the Indian team before the IPL season, following clean sweeps against West Indies and New Zealand at home.
Coach Rahul Dravid has said that he and captain Rohit Sharma are “pretty clear” about the balance and combination for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, and that it is now about giving people opportunities and also finding back-up players. With several first-choice players rested or injured, we take a look at those vying for chances in the three games in Lucknow and Dharamsala.
Rohit’s opening partner
Incumbent: KL Rahul
Options vs SL: Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson
KL Rahul. Captain Rohit Sharma came in at No 4 in the ninth over in the third T20I against West Indies at Eden Gardens, but the series had been sealed already, so Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan were given a go at the top. Rohit will likely retake his opening slot going forward. KL Rahul has been the preferred choice as Rohit’s partner since the selectors stopped including Shikhar Dhawan for the shortest format.
After Rohit took over as skipper following the 2021 T20 World Cup, Ishan Kishan has been given the most chances when Rahul has been injured or rested. He hasn’t grabbed them yet, with a strike-rate of only 96. But if he manages to click, he provides the team with a couple of additional advantages: a left-right opening pair, and a back-up wicket-keeping option in a World Cup squad where there is an upper limit on how many players you can pick. Also, it breaks the ‘sameness’ in the games of a top order comprising Rohit, Rahul and Virat Kohli, something the current team management seems to be attempting to do.
Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson. Sanju Samson was given a couple of games as opener in New Zealand in 2020. The keeper-batsman has been picked for the Sri Lanka T20Is with Rohit saying he has the game to succeed in Australia. Samson has a strike-rate of 141 in three innings in Australia, but at No 4, so it will be interesting to see where he is used in the line-up against Sri Lanka.
Unlike Kishan and Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad brings only batting skills, but he’s won Chennai Super Kings an IPL title already. The opening combinations in Lucknow and Dharamsala could give an idea of who stands where at the moment.
The middle order
Incumbents: Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav
Options vs SL: Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson
Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav. Only eight of Virat Kohli’s 89 T20I innings have come as opener, so for now, he remains the incumbent at No 3 heading into the World Cup. The last time Rahul batted in the T20I the middle order was in November 2019 when Dhawan was still opening. He is a versatile batsman, though, and if required, can drop down the order and also presents an additional keeping option. The presence of all three of Rohit, Rahul and Kohli in a T20I line-up has been questioned before, but so far, there has been no public indication from the new team management that the former captain’s spot could be in danger.
Shreyas Iyer. Suryakumar Yadav’s strike-rate since the 2021 T20 World Cup is 168, with an average of 34, so he’s probably also established himself in that middle order. However, his injury as well as Rishabh Pant’s absence have provided a chance for Shreyas Iyer to make another case for driving the innings through the middle overs against Sri Lanka. Finishing is not really his forte, and the upper middle order has plenty of options now, so this might be his best opportunity in a while.
Samson, like Rahul, can be utilised in the middle overs too, where he is capable of hitting spin straight or over extra cover to keep the momentum going.
The finishers
Previously: Hardik Pandya
Options vs SL: Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda
Other option: Shahrukh Khan
Hardik Pandya. Hardik Pandya hasn’t played since the 2021 T20 World Cup, and Venkatesh Iyer has made an impression since. It has been only three innings, but he strikes at 164 with the bat and averages 13 with the ball with an economy-rate of 6.32. He caught the selectors’ attention after his success as opener for Kolkata Knight Riders, but coach Rahul Dravid has said that the Indian team is looking at him as a finisher who can also give a few overs. Uncertainty continues to surround Pandya’s bowling status; chief selector Chetan Sharma has said previously that he needs to see Pandya back bowling before he can be considered for the national side.
Deepak Hooda has also come into reckoning now, although he is yet to make his T20I debut. Hooda has a fine T20 strike-rate of 139, but the part-time off-spinner has been given the ball in only 54 of his 141 T20 games, where he bowls an average of 2.1 overs.
Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh Khan’s six-hitting was in demand in the IPL auction but he hardly bowls in domestic cricket, so unless he plays alongside Venkatesh Iyer, the team could struggle for a sixth bowling option. He is not part of the squad for the Sri Lanka T20Is though.
The wrist-spinners
Incumbent: Yuzvendra Chahal
Options vs SL: Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav
Yuzvendra Chahal. Three wrist-spinners in a T20I squad is an indicator that Rohit wants more wickets in the middle overs. Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Bishnoi both played the first two T20Is against West Indies. Young Bishnoi has had a creditable start with an economy-rate of 6.33 in the West Indies series. His googlies and sliders can complement the more conventional Chahal.
Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep Yadav is yet to get a T20I on his comeback. During the third ODI against West Indies, Rohit was heard on the stump mic telling Kuldeep he wouldn’t give him the ball after the left-armer bowled one flat and quick. If Kuldeep can regain some confidence, India will have all bases covered on the wrist-spin front, especially on the larger outfields in Australia where there will be more cushion.
Rahul Chahar seems to have fallen behind after the 2021 T20 World Cup, and will need a good IPL season for Punjab Kings to have a shot at the South Africa T20Is in June.
The finger-spinners
Option vs SL: Ravindra Jadeja
Other options: R Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel
Ravindra Jadeja. R Ashwin may have struggled in the South Africa ODIs but he had a couple of solid T20I outings against New Zealand last year. Washington Sundar hasn’t played a T20I since March last year, and he is now out injured. Axar Patel is yet to fully recover as well, which means Ravindra Jadeja is the sole finger-spinner for the Sri Lanka T20Is. Jadeja himself is returning to action after three months. He easily brings the best hitting ability among India’s spinners, and adds to the batting depth at No. 7. And in case his finger-spin goes for runs, India have the sixth bowling option in Venkatesh Iyer to fall back on.
R Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel. The fast bowlers
Options vs SL: Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan
Other options: Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar
Amid talk of Deepak Chahar being Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s replacement with more hitting ability, the senior pacer sealed a T20I against West Indies with a superb 19th over. Plus, Harshal Patel’s astonishing growth has provided India another death-bowling option. And Shardul Thakur keeps delivering breakthroughs. With Jasprit Bumrah returning for T20Is for the first time since the World Cup last year, the fast-bowling stocks are plentiful. Choosing only three to go with Bumrah for the T20 World Cup in Australia will be quite the selection headache.
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