Even though the Indian team management has remained steadfast in its backing of the established line-up, the Auckland shellacking might have triggered thoughts of making some tactical changes to the playing XI for the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand on Sunday. In that context, the think tank may consider bringing back Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, with Sanju Samson likely to be the casualty. India hold an unassailable 3-1 lead, but the world champions would certainly not want to sign off with a defeat after dominating the early stages of the five-match series. Samson appears to have strong support from the team management, but the opener has not exactly set the series alight, registering scores of 67, 14, 18 and 4.
Even though the Indian team management is steadfast in their backing of the established line, the Auckland shellacking might have triggered the thoughts of making some tactical rejigging to the playing eleven in the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand on Sunday.
Perhaps a short break will help him refresh both his mind and his game. Modern cricket rarely allows teams to treat any game as a dead rubber, and New Zealand will be no different. The hosts will be eager to carry momentum into the upcoming five-match ODI series by ending the T20I rubber on a winning note. The ODI series carries even greater significance, with both teams likely to assess combinations and personnel ahead of next year’s ICC ODI World Cup. India: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.
India’s spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule recently said that both Kuldeep and Chakaravarthy are ready whenever called upon, although that opportunity may not come in this series.
