New Delhi. Indian cricket fans had not even been able to properly celebrate the victory of the last two T20 World Cups when suddenly Team India got caught in a whirlpool of uncertainty which no one had expected. It was impossible to imagine that the balance of a team that had become back-to-back world champions would get disturbed to such an extent. The 0-2 defeat against Ireland was termed by great batsman Sunil Gavaskar as ‘one of the darkest days in the history of Indian cricket’. But the story did not end here. Now the England team captained by Harry Brook has also completely decoded the weakness of the world champions. England now knows very well where to trap which Indian batsman and which bowler to target.
Amidst this turmoil, the pair of Gautam Gambhir and Shreyas Iyer (captain) are searching for their first win in international cricket. In such a situation, the time has come to take tough decisions. No one should be surprised if big and drastic changes are seen in Team India in the third T20 match of the series.
India can field this playing eleven in the third T20 match against England.
The blame will fall on Ravi Bishnoi! Will Washington Sundar or Prince Yadav get a chance?
If we look at the current performance of the Indian team, overall the bowlers have done a good job. Therefore, the places of most of the bowlers seem safe. But leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi is the biggest target at this time. After the defeat in the second match, captain Shreyas Iyer and wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan blamed the defeat directly on Bishnoi’s poor performance. Bishnoi gave away 60 runs in his quota of 4 overs without taking any wicket, which included 29 runs coming from his last over.
Questions should also be raised as to why the very important 17th over of the innings was handed over to a spinner who was already scoring runs? Well, after this poor performance, it is almost certain that Bishnoi will be eliminated in the third match. However, India only has Washington Sundar as a spin option on the bench, but his recent form has also not been anything special. In such a situation, the team management may consider bringing back Prince Yadav as an additional fast bowler, who had impressed by taking three wickets in his previous performance.
‘The abundance of left-handed batsmen has become a weakness’
Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has raised a very serious and logical issue on his YouTube channel regarding the combination of Team India. Kaif reminded how Sanju Samson had to be recalled to the playing-11 midway through the 2026 T20 World Cup, as the opposition teams were easily making strategies against India’s two left-handed openers.
The same disease seems to be making its home again in the current team also. Young sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi showed glimpses of talent in his debut match, but he became the victim of Will Jacques’ off-spin. Due to the arrival of Suryavanshi and the exclusion of Sanju Samson, captain Shreyas Iyer is the only right-handed batsman left among India’s top-7 batsmen. This is a weakness for any opposing team at the international level, which can be easily targeted. Off-spinners and left-arm spinners can keep the Indian batting completely tied down.
Sanju Samson’s return and trouble for vice-captain Tilak Verma?
If the pair of Gambhir and Iyer realize this weakness, then they will have to take some tough decisions in the third match. To give the team the right combination of right and left hands, either Ishan Kishan or Tilak Verma may have to be dropped. However, the problem with Tilak Verma is that he is the vice-captain of the team, in such a situation, sitting out the vice-captain would be a very complicated decision for the captaincy and management.
If there is a change, then Sanju Samson or all-rounder Suryansh Shedge can be included in the playing-11. In the case of Sanju Samson, he may once again be given the responsibility of opening. In such a situation, either Samson himself will open or 15-year-old youth Vaibhav Suryavanshi can be sent at number three. Sanju Samson’s record of playing in the top order and especially at number three in the IPL has been excellent, which makes him a much more experienced and better choice than Suryavanshi for this role.
After Gautam Gambhir became the coach, there was hope that a new era would begin in Indian cricket, but at the moment the initial journey seems to be thorny. If India has to survive in the series and save its reputation, then it will not only have to enter the third T20 with the right combination, but will also have to perform like a champion on the field.
