After missing the first two matches of the series, India’s World Cup-winning trio Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube have joined the squad and are available for selection for the third T20I against Zimbabwe on Wednesday. While Dube and Samson will walk into the side in place of Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel, Jaiswal’s selection is not straightforward. The flamboyant left-hander, chosen as a backup opener in India’s T20 World Cup squad, will face tough competition from Abhishek Sharma.
Abhishek may have started his international career with a four-ball duck but he more than made up for it with a sparking century off just 46 balls in the second outing. With captain Shubman Gill already confirming that he will open in T20Is after the retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, it leaves Jaiswal and Abhishek fighting for one top-order’s spot.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, with a handsome strike rate of 161 plus in 17 T20I matches, including a hundred and four half-centuries, does have the first claim to be skipper Shubman Gill’s opening partner by virtue of being the reserve opener of the first-choice T20 team.
But will Gill and interim coach VVS Laxman be harsh on a young batter who scored a century in the last game? Centurions getting dropped for the next is not totally unusual in Indian cricket. Manoj Tiwary had to sit out for a number of matches after scoring his maiden century against the West Indies. Karun Nair did not feature in the Test XI much after scoring a triple century against England.
But things may be a bit different this time around. If India decide to field both Jaiswal and Abhishek then captain Gill will have to sacrifice his opening position and Ruturaj Gaikwad will have to slide down to No.4. This has been a problem with the Indian white-ball teams. There are too many quality cricketers gunning for the top-order’s spot.
Going in with this combination will mean India will have four openers in the XI, with two of them batting out of position. That’s not all. Sanju Samson, who bats at No.3 for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, will have to slot in at No.5. Where does that leave Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh? Both of them can swap between No.6 and No.7 depending on the situation. But it will be a spot or two lower, irrespective.
This also means that Riyan Parag will not be included in the XI. The Assam cricketer, who got only one chance with the bat in the series opener, will have to sit out for the World Cup-winning members.
There are no such problems for the bowling department. Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar and Avesh Khan have done a commendable job in both the T20Is so far. They are an automatic choice. Including Dube means, Gill will have an extra couple of overs from a seamer. If it assists the spinners, he can obviously summon Abhishek Sharma for a few overs of his left-arm spin.
India likely XI for 3rd T20I vs Zimbabwe
Openers: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma
Top-order: Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad
Middle-order: Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh
All-rounders: Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar
Bowlers: Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar
Watch Ind vs Zim T20 matches LIVE on OTTplay. Click Here to Subscribe
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
