Is India tinkering with the playing combinations too much?

In the first T20I match against the West Indies on July 29, at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Suryakumar Yadav opened at the top of the order beside skipper Rohit Sharma. The pair put up a 44-run combination as the Men in Blue gave the hosts a difficult 191-run goal to meet. The visitors eventually prevailed by a commanding win margin of 68 runs.

Though the new opening partnership proved to be somewhat fruitful, the team management faced some flak for toying with the top-order frequently. In the current calendar year, Suryakumar Yadav became the seventh Indian batter to open for the side.

India is yet to decide on their 15 players for this year’s T20 World Cup, and are still considering both starters and backups for each position. The opening slot has been one role that India has explored the most in 2022. Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rishabh Pant, and Deepak Hooda have all played in the top order in the past seven months.

After so many changes, the Indian think tank is under the scanner. Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan were the regular openers for the team in the absence of batting stalwart KL Rahul. But because he has been out of the international setup due to injury and health concerns, Kishan replaced him.

Without a doubt, India has recently experimented quite a bit with their line-up and combinations, and with the way things are going, there may be more adjustments in the near future. Even in the ODI format, India’s usual opening pair were Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, but recently in the absence of the regular skipper, Shubman Gill joined Dhawan and put up a remarkable performance in the top order.

India is also looking for a strong set of bowlers for not just the T20 World Cup, but a set that also gives them hopes for the ODI World Cup, which is scheduled next year at home. With experience players in abundance, like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shardul Thakur, and even Deepak Chahar now, new faces like Avesh Khan, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh will have to work harder as they have been receiving good opportunities to make a mark in the team. However, the only way to test them out is by giving them chances to feature in the XI, and that all but ensures too much tinkering. India are always spoilt for choices.