3 changes that could help the Indian T20 team cement the No. 1 ranking
India, who won the recently concluded T20 series against England, have some minor problems in the squad which can be addressed by bringing in some new players.
India won the T20I series against England 2-1, and lost the ODI series by the same margin. But they need some fresh players who can solve the batting woes in the middle.
India will tour Australia later this year, which is always a challenge. The Aaron Finch-led Australia looks formidable, with talented players like Glenn Maxwell, Andrew Tye and Billy Stanlake. After India's tour, Australia will come to India in February and will play five ODIs and two T20s - so there is a lot of cricket to be played against the men from Down Under in the next few months.
The last time these two teams met in Australia, the visitors won with a margin of 3-0. This time, India will go into the series with the No. 1 ranking on the line.
Here, we look at the possible changes to the T20 team which might help India cement the No. 1 spot.
#3 Shreyas Iyer in place of Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey was a part of the Indian T20 side which played against Ireland and England. Pandey got a chance to showcase his skills in the two T20s against Ireland, but he didn't quite succeed in that.
In the first T20, Pandey didn't get a chance to bat; in the second, he scored 21 off 20 balls. He has been in pale form since the start of the IPL, which puts a question mark on his place in the side.
Pandey made his T20 debut against Zimbabwe in 2015. He has scored 515 runs at an average of 42.91 and strike rate of 126.23 in his 25 T20I games.
Shreyas Iyer, meanwhile, missed his national spot for the England series. Iyer made his international debut against Sri Lanka in 2017. He is an integral part of the Delhi Daredevils squad and led his team in the second half of IPL 2018.
In the 6 T20s that he has played, Iyer has scored 83 runs at an average of 16.6. However, his domestic and IPL performances suggest that he has the potential to do much better if given an extended run.
Iyer will be aiming to return to the national team for the tour of Australia. If he is selected, he can provide extra stability to the Indian middle order while also executing the big hits at the death to perfection.