Ishan Kishan, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson can all play together in the fourth T20I against New Zealand. That might sound surprising when the discussion has been about which batter must miss out. But India have two ways to accommodate all three—and this is the right time to consider them.
Kishan is closing in on a return after missing the previous two matches. He has been one of India’s outstanding T20 batters this year, so a fit Kishan should walk straight back into the XI.
Abhishek Sharma’s form makes his place secure. That leaves Samson and Vaibhav competing for one position, even though neither deserves to be left out easily.
Samson has three half-centuries in his last six matches. Vaibhav, meanwhile, demonstrated his extraordinary potential with 45 off 19 balls in the third T20I. Apart from his difficult opening stretch in England, he has continued to impress as his international career has progressed.
Instead of choosing between them immediately, India should explore how to play them together.
With three wins from three matches and the series already secured, the management has room to experiment. The purpose should be to find the combination that serves India best, rather than select purely on reputation or the excitement around a generational talent.
1. Rest Abhishek Sharma and Open With Samson and Vaibhav
The first option is also the better one: give Abhishek a break and let Samson and Vaibhav open together, with Kishan batting at No. 3.
Resting Abhishek would be about managing his workload. He has been playing regularly, and his place in India’s strongest XI is already secure. The management does not need these final two matches to discover what he offers.
Samson and Vaibhav, however, could benefit from being assessed together. Playing them in the same matches gives India a clearer look at how each responds to similar pitches, opposition and expectations.
Samson’s World Cup performances and Vaibhav’s IPL exploits matter, but the selection question must also be answered through what they produce for India in comparable circumstances.
Ideally, both should receive a run of five or six matches together. The final two T20Is in this series offer an immediate opportunity to begin that assessment.
It would also avoid dropping Vaibhav straight after his attacking innings in Wellington while allowing Samson to continue building on his recent form. India could retain the rest of the batting structure, including Naman Dhir’s finishing role.
Abhishek’s position is settled. Use this opportunity to learn more about Samson and Vaibhav.
Expected playing XI under this option:
- Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper)
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Ishan Kishan
- Shreyas Iyer (captain)
- Tilak Varma
- Naman Dhir
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Axar Patel
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Arshdeep Singh
- Prince Yadav
2. Leave Out Naman Dhir and Give the Batters More Bowling Responsibility
The second option requires a harder selection call: leave out Naman Dhir and fit Kishan into the batting order while retaining Abhishek, Samson and Vaibhav.
This would be tough on Dhir. He has impressed with his finishing ability, and removing him would mean asking other batters to take responsibility further down the order.
However, India have not been using his bowling heavily. That creates a possible route to experiment with a different balance.
Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Prince Yadav would provide four bowling options, with Nitish Kumar Reddy operating as the fifth. Reddy has been bowling regularly, so this combination would ask him to take greater responsibility for completing the required overs.
Abhishek could provide additional spin support. India could also try an over from Vaibhav, who bowls left-arm orthodox spin and has bowling experience in Under-19 cricket.
For a young batter with Vaibhav’s potential, developing that second skill could improve his value to the side. Giving him carefully chosen opportunities would allow India to assess his bowling at international level as well.
The risk is clear: India would lose Dhir’s established finishing contribution and depend more on Reddy and the supplementary bowlers if one of the main options struggled. The batting order would also need adjustment, with Samson at No. 3, Iyer at No. 4 and Kishan at No. 5 behind the Abhishek-Vaibhav opening pair.
This remains a workable experiment, but resting Abhishek is the stronger choice. It preserves Dhir’s role and gives Samson and Vaibhav the opportunity to open together without asking the middle order to absorb another change.
Expected playing XI under this option:
- Abhishek Sharma
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper)
- Shreyas Iyer (captain)
- Ishan Kishan
- Tilak Varma
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Axar Patel
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Arshdeep Singh
- Prince Yadav
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