Drop Gill or Kishan, change SKY's position: Things Hardik's India should do to come back and win series vs West Indies
India can't decide what to do. With Hardik Pandya in charge of T20Is, they want to give as many new players a chance as possible before the T20 World Cup next year. But they haven't quite found the right mix yet, and it shows in the T20I series they are playing against the West Indies right now.
India is also being hurt by their template. Hardik and Rahul Dravid, who is the head coach, have talked a lot about how to attack in T20Is without thinking too much about the results.
But this hasn't always shown on the cricket field, especially when India loses a game or two. When they're in trouble, they seem to go back to what they've always done instead of taking a bold, anything-goes approach like England.
On the Caribbean islands, the pitches haven't been great for hitting big shots with ease, but Nicholas Pooran and Tilak Varma have shown that big hits are possible if you go into the game with a clear head. India needs to win the last three games to win the series.
They have already lost the first two games. There's no going back. Will they try to play defence again, or will they keep trying new things even though they lost the series? They can do the second option, play aggressive cricket, and still win the game.
Ishan Kishan or Shubman Gill should be replaced with Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill are the only Indian players who have played in every game so far on this West Indies tour.
They have played in both Tests, all three ODIs, and both T20Is. Kishan has been great up until the ODIs, but the T20Is have been hard for him.
In fact, his T20I strike rate of 121 (most of them as an opener) after 29 matches is definitely cause for concern. On the other hand, Gill will be the first to say that, with only one half-century to show for it, this tour has been a disappointment so far.
Dropping one of them for the third Twenty20 International in Guyana to make room for Yashasvi Jaiswal seems like a good idea in more than one way. Jaiswal is in great shape, and his aggressiveness at the top of the order could be just what India needs to put West Indies on the defensive right away.
If Kishan moves on, the Indian team's leaders will have a chance to look at the goalie, Sanju Samson.
Either Samson or Tilak Varma at No.3, not SKY
11 of Suryakumar Yadav's 16 scores of 50 or more in Twenty20 Internationals came when he was playing at No.4. He has hit at No. 3 in this series, scoring 21 (out of 21) and 1 (out of 3).
Since Virat Kohli isn't in the running for T20Is right now, India seems to have chosen SKY to play that part. But there are early signs that he might not be the best choice for that spot, especially when an early wicket goes. He tends to hold back on his natural instincts and become an anchor, which is the last thing India would want from their best match-winner in T20Is.
Then what should be done? To be honest, it's not that hard. If the left-hander is out (Kishan or Jaiswal, based on who is playing), Tilak Varma can move up to No. 3, and if Gill is out first, Samson can take his place.
It will not only let Surya move back to his original spot, but it will also let Samson bat at his favourite spot instead of No. 6.
Drop a specialist bowler to strengthen lower-order
It's never ideal to get rid of a bowler because he can't score runs, but with the Indian T20I team in the West Indies right now, it might be the only way to make the team more balanced. India's first two games were played with four bowlers who specialised in bowling and two all-rounders, Hardik and Axar Patel. This meant that India's tail started at No.8.
They paid a high price for that in the first T20I, when their lower-order batsmen couldn't hit well enough to win the game. Most of the time, Hardik will bowl four overs, so India might only play one wrist spinner so that Axar can bat at No. 8.
If they need a couple of overs from their top order to make up for one of their five bowlers having a bad day, Jaiswal's leg-spin is more than up to the task.