After a shock defeat in the first T20I, the Shubman Gill-led Indian side have made a strong comeback by winning the next two games and now find themselves on the cusp of a series with a 2-1 lead. The world champions will aim to seal the trophy when they take the field on Saturday (July 13) in the fourth match of the series at the Harare Sports Club.
In the third game, India made as many as four changes after the return of Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, and Yashasvi Jaiswal to the squad. The T20 World Cup-winning trio’s comeback meant that Riyan Parag, Dhurv Jurel, and Sai Sudharsan had to miss out.
Abhishek Sharma was demoted from his opening spot despite his century in the second T20I and batted at number three, with Jaiswal opening the bat with Gill. The top-order headache meant that Ruturaj Gaikwad had to bat at number four.
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While India sealed a 23-run victory, the batting order was questioned by many in the cricket fraternity as the presence of four openers raised questions. India’s approach to the batting display also came under scrutiny as the top order took time to accelerate.
Hence, interim coach VVS Laxman might want to bring more balance to the batting unit, which could mean a return for Parag, a natural midfielder. However, this will have to come at the cost of Abhishek, who has been the shining light of the series for India so far. India have used Abhishek as a fifth bowler, which is a role Parag can play too.
The Men in Blue have rotated their pace bowling unit so far, with Khaleel resting for the second T20I and Mukesh for the third T20I. Going by the trend, Avesh is likely to be benched for the next game.
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India’s strategy of playing as many as seven specialist batters is also something under debate, especially with the lack of a regular fifth bowler, but two wins in a row means the Gill-led out will not change the playing XI.
India’s Likely XI In 4th T20I vs Zimbabwe: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma/Riyan Pararg, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed