India Is Likely To Use The Same Playing XI Against New Zealand, Regardless of the lack of Shardul Thakur
The Indian team management has more or less decided to play the same eleven against New Zealand in the ‘do or die’ T20 World Cup game on Sunday, following Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s successful “CSK template.” In Indian cricketing parlance, the CSK blueprint is neither tampering with the side after one setback nor is it rocking the boat until it is required. The one caveat is that if anyone is unable to play on Sunday, there will be a change in the lineup.
The poor performance against Pakistan has prompted serious concerns about the team’s composition, but it is clear that ‘Mentor’ Dhoni’s impact will be seen in the type of outfit that will face the Black Caps.
This completely eliminates any possibility of Shardul Thakur replacing Hardik Pandya in the playing XI since no one is willing to gamble on “Shardul the No 7 hitter.” All of the decision-makers in the Indian team believe that Shardul’s batting position at No. 7 is too high for him.
In terms of bowling, the Mumbai man is a wicket-taker with a proclivity to leak a lot of runs, with an economy rate of close to 9 runs per over. Pandya has taken up bowling and is naturally stressed because everyone is losing patience, and no one knows this better than the ‘Baroda bomber.’
He is well aware that everyone who was informed that he would be bowling is now watching him with great anticipation. With the chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma committing to bowling in the IPL, Pandya has been put in an uncomfortable position, and his job is also untenable if he does not bowl a single over.
Shardul Thakur may still have played, but if sources are to be believed, the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar would be retained against the Black Caps because his variations, when executed correctly, make him a useful player.
If completely healthy, Varun Chakravarthy is anticipated to be a handful for the Kiwis, while Ravichandran Ashwin, who can spell doom for left-handers, has yet to show that skipper Virat Kohli is keen to change his slow bowling combination.