India vs Sri Lanka: In Kohli’s absence, who will bat at No 3? How to slot in Jadeja? Hosts face selection dilemma ahead of T20I series

India have turned a corner in T20Is. The 2021 T20 World Cup started off in a disastrous fashion as they lost to Pakistan and New Zealand in their first two matches. Those two losses delivered a killer blow to their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals. They bounced back hard in their next three games with thumping wins over Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia but it was too little too late.

They however had found their mojo back as a few days later, they clean swept New Zealand in the T20 series at home 3-0. And then recently thumped West Indies 3-0 to climb to the summit of the ICC T20I rankings.

The change in approach has been refreshing. The West Indies series was a tough challenge but they aced it comfortably. It was a chance for the relative newcomers to learn and stake a claim for a spot in the 2022 T20 World Cup squad. And also an opportunity for India to plug the remaining holes and keep the backups ready. The likes of Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Suryakumar Yadav shone through with some seniors rested and some first-team players absent due to injuries.

They are on the road again in this fast-paced cricketing world and will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series to further solidify their credentials for the mega event.

Despite the absence of a few senior players and injuries, the vast talent pool along with some good performances have led to selection headaches albeit good ones. And it’s going to be the same in the Sri Lanka series. Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur have been rested for the series. KL Rahul and Washington Sundar and Deepak Chahar will miss the series due to injuries. However, Jasprit Bumrah is back after a well-deserved rest along with Ravindra Jadeja who has recovered from his finger injury.

Here’s a look at the selection conundrums India face ahead of the Sri Lanka series.

Who will be the openers?

KL Rahul is still out. Rohit Sharma opened in the first two T20Is against West Indies along with Ishan Kishan. He had a mixed series overall with scores of 40 and 19 opening the innings. In the third T20I, he dropped himself to No 4 to accommodate Ruturaj Gaikwad in the opening slot. It didn’t work as Rohit scored just seven runs. And Gaikwad struggled in the only match he played in the series scoring 4 off 8 balls. The West Indies series was a chance for Kishan to make his case stronger but he didn’t have that much of an impact, averaging 23.66 from three innings with a strike rate of 85.54.

File image of Ishan Kishan. AP

With one eye on plugging the holes and getting the backups ready, India can look at giving Gaikwad more chances which would mean that he could open with Rohit. Gaikwad has been warming the benches for some time and India could look to give him a slightly longer rope.

Kishan has had the experience of playing at No 3 for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and in the middle order as well. Head coach Rahul Dravid had spoken about the need for flexibility in the line-up after the West Indies series victory which would mean that India could utilise Kishan’s versatility at No 3.

However, Kishan allows India to have a left-right combination at the top and that could keep him in that opening slot.

Another option is that Rohit might drop himself to No 4 in order to add some experience to the middle order and let the two young players open.

Who will bat at the crucial No 3 spot in place of Virat Kohli?

India can look to open with Gaikwad and Kishan and Rohit might opt to bat at No 3. He dropped himself to No 4 in the 3rd T20I against West Indies but the move didn’t work. He may look to bat one slot higher and allow the two youngsters to open the innings. He’s had a middling record batting at No 3 in the IPL averaging 26.8 from 43 innings in T20s.

However, with India looking to adopt a more fearless and aggressive approach, they could play Sanju Samson and get him at No 3. He’s someone who plays fearless cricket and can provide that impetus up the order. Rohit and Kishan can open the batting to maintain the left-right combination and Sanju could bat at No 3. With Shreyas Iyer batting at No 4, Suryakumar at 5 and Venkatesh at 6. This would mean Gaikwad misses out on playing XI.

File image of Sanju Samson. AFP

Samson has had a good amount of success playing at No 3 in T20s, he’s averaged 38.3 and boasts a strike rate of 138.6, scoring 15 fifties and three centuries.

Samson has endured a tough ride in the international arena so far. He hasn’t made most of the chances presented to him but he is back again in the mix and would be looking to make the most of it.

Kishan too can play that No 3 role which he’s done in the past for Mumbai Indians. In the 11 T20 matches, he’s played at No 3, he’s scored 216 runs at an average of 19.6. There is another option of Shreyas. The Mumbai cricketer batted No 3 in the 3rd T20I against West Indies and scored a brisk 16-ball 25. He’s batted a decent amount at No 3 in the IPL.

In 41 innings, he’s batted at 3, he averages a decent 31.5 with seven fifties and has a strike rate of 125.4. In that case, Rohit and Gaikwad can open the batting and Kishan can slot in at No 4 allowing India to have a left-hander in the middle order just like Rishabh Pant. Kishan has a decent average of 27.6 batting at 4 with a strike rate of 131.2 in the T20s. Or the other option is Rohit and Kishan can open and India can accommodate Deepak Hooda in the middle order at 4 or 5.

How to slot in Ravindra Jadeja?

Jadeja is back after missing the T20I series against New Zealand and West Indies. However, with Yuzvendra Chahal starting to find his mojo back and newcomer Ravi Bishnoi impressing in the West Indies series, does he slot in straight away?

Firstly two of the three T20Is will be played at Dharamsala which will have something in it for the pacers. So, India might go in with three pacers and two spinners combination. The other T20I (the first one) is in Lucknow. If India play three spinners then all three can fit in with Kuldeep Yadav missing out. However, if they play three pacers then one of Jadeja, Bishnoi and Chahal will miss out.

File image of Ravindra Jadeja. AP

With Deepak Chahar missing the series, Jadeja will give a batting option at No 7, which means India will have to pick between Bishnoi and Chahal. Bishnoi had the best economy rate for India in his debut series as he gave away runs at just 6.33 an over. He picked up 3 wickets from three matches at 25.33 while Chahal had a middling series with two wickets from two matches at 32.50 and an economy rate of 8.12.

In case Jadeja misses out, India will have to look at the option of batting Harshal Patel at No 7. This move could slightly weaken the batting. But Patel is a handy lower-order batter and India can take that chance. However, Jadeja will in all probability slot into the eleven straightaway.

He is a gun fielder and India would be looking to give him some game time as well. One thing with Jadeja is, he sometimes doesn’t bowl his full quota of four overs. In the last 10 T20Is, he’s played, he has completed his full quota just five times including not getting to bowl at all in one of the matches. India can however manage it with Venkatesh’s overs and the two can share four overs between them.

With Bumrah back, who will assist him in pace attack?

After a well-deserved rest, Bumrah will be back in the T20 team for the first time after the T20 World Cup. He will in all probability spearhead India’s pace attack. There is competition for the other two slots if India go with three pacers. It will be hard to ignore Harshal Patel who’s burst onto the international scene in some style, bagging a player of the match award on debut, against New Zealand last year. And then continuing the good work in the West Indies series, where he finished as second-highest wicket-taker and India’s highest with five wickets from three matches at 21 and an economy rate of 8.75.

He’s time and again shown the ability to soak in the pressure and his variations have been lethal in crunch situations. He might take the second pacer’s slot. Then there are Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan.

File image of Harshal Patel (R). AP

India might look to the experience of Bhuvneshwar to start off and if they win the series, they could turn to Siraj or Avesh. Bhuvi once again showed the value of experience in the West Indies series. In the 2nd T20I with 29 needed from 2 overs and Rovman Powell and Nicholas Pooran going berserk, he bowled an exceptional penultimate over and gave away just four runs besides taking the wicket of the set Pooran (62 off 41). It was a crucial over that played a huge role in winning the match for India. Also in the two matches, Bhuvneshwar was disciplined and gave away runs at just 7.5 an over.

However, if India are looking to give game time and evaluate Siraj, they could start with him as he didn’t get a single game in the West Indies T20I series. He brings the pace factor with him and could enjoy bowling on Dharamshala wicket which generally has pace and carry on it. Avesh didn’t have the best of debuts as he went wicket-less, conceding 42 from four overs in the third T20I against West Indies. But it won’t be a bad idea either to start off with him, give him that chance to build his confidence and test him in the first couple of matches.

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