The nucleus of the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup has been in place since Gautam Gambhir took charge as head coach in July 2024 and it is unlikely that the national selectors will ring in changes with less than two months to go for the showpiece event.
However, Ajit Agarkar’s panel will be forced to deliberate on a few positions, the settled look of the squad notwithstanding.
Surya’s form
Suryakumar Yadav’s wretched run continued in the final T20I in Ahmedabad when he was dismissed for 5 off 7 balls. He has thus ended the year without a half-century.
Like Sunil Gavaskar, the team is also hoping that the India skipper is reserving his best for the World Cup.
Surya was never in his elements on Friday and the fear of yet another failure seemed to haunt him from the start. The selectors have their faith on him and the series against New Zealand will give another chance to show that he is "not out of form".
Gill vs Ishan
Shubman Gill has been projected as the next all-format captain in Indian cricket. His comeback into the T20 squad for the Asia Cup in September showed that the selectors
were considering him as the next leader.
The top-order batter hasn’t escaped scrutiny since and his dipping form has added to the intrigue. He has now gone 18 innings without a half-century and his 47 off 28 balls against Pakistan in Dubai has been the only innings of note.
The coming five T20Is against New Zealand will provide Gill another opportunity to regain his touch. Being the vice-captain, he enjoys a bit of security but Ishan Kishan’s superb run in Jharkhand’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title campaign — 517 runs at a strike-rate of 197.32 — can’t be ignored.
With Sanju Samson already there, the selectors are unlikely to consider Kishan as an opener since they wouldn’t want a third wicketkeeper in the XV.
For now, Gill and Abhishek Sharma are the preferred choice for openers. In case Gill’s form forces a rethink, Samson will open since most of his runs have come at the top of the order. His enterprising 22-ball 37 on Friday will serve as a fillip to his ambitions.
If Samson forces the team management to effect a change in the batting order, then Gill could drop to No.3 with Surya coming next.
Rinku debate
Rinku Singh’s omission and Washington Sundar’s inclusion for the T20Is against South Africa came as a surprise. With India preferring multi-dimensional players and Hardik Pandya back in the side, there is talk that Shivam Dube could face the axe.
Uttar Pradesh's Rinku Singh returns to the pavilion after his dismissal by Chandigarh’s Sandeep Sharma during a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 cricket match between Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh
Dube’s record hasn’t met expectations both with the bat and ball and the inclusion of an extra batter in Rinku could help the side. Rinku though will face competition from Hardik and Jitesh Sharma when it comes to the finisher’s role.
