India's strongest playing XI for the Bangladesh T20I series ft. Varun Chakaravarthy & Harshit Rana
India have announced their squad for the upcoming three T20Is against Bangladesh which will commence on October 6 in Gwalior. The Men in Blue will be led by Suryakumar Yadav once again, although a vice-captain hasn't been named.
Gautam Gambhir and the think tank will have many team combinations to choose from, especially in the middle order and in the bowling attack. Depending on the conditions and the workload, India could make changes to their side.
India’s squad for the 3 T20Is against Bangladesh: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav.
However, which team has the best balance overall? And which players need to be backed? Here is India's strongest playing XI for the Bangladesh T20I series.
Openers: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk)
As the only specialist opener in the squad, Abhishek Sharma is certainly going to slot in at the top of the order against Bangladesh. With a T20I hundred to his name already, the southpaw will be keen on making the most of his opportunities at the international level.
Sanju Samson is the only other player in the squad who has opened the batting for India in recent times. Having him alongside Abhishek would also allow the Men in Blue to field their ideal middle order without worrying about fitting a keeper in there somewhere.
Middle Order: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh
Needless to say, captain Suryakumar Yadav will man the No. 3 role. SKY is still going strong and will be hugely important from a leadership standpoint as India look to try out new players against Bangladesh.
Riyan Parag, who has impressed in both departments lately, is the ideal candidate to bat at No. 4. If the pitches are turning tracks, he can be backed to chip in with at least a couple of overs. If the all-rounder's bowling against Zimbabwe was anything to go by, he can even complete his full quota on a regular basis.
Shivam Dube is likely to be higher in the pecking order, but Nitish Kumar Reddy might have a bigger upside. The talented youngster can take the new ball and might also be more suited to a role outside the top four. It would be in India's best interests to get him firing in the near future.
Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh will definitely be part of India's strongest playing XI for the Bangladesh T20Is, with the latter in particular responsible for finishing duties.
Washington Sundar has been in excellent bowling form lately, but with India having two solid spinners in their top four along with two world-class specialists, it's hard to see him add a great deal of value to the playing XI.
Jitesh Sharma is bound to be on the bench to start the series.
Lower Order: Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy
India can afford to play Mayank Yadav and still have enough in the spin department, but if they want to get bowling out of Hardik and Nitish, they might be content with two pacers. Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh are, at this point, more complete packages than Mayank, who is hugely exciting in his own right.
Suryakumar and Co. could thus play both Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakaravarthy, with the latter being capable of bowling at any stage of the innings. Bangladesh are likely to struggle to pick both spinners, who have what it takes to play in tandem.