3 changes India should make to get back to winning ways in 2nd T20I against Bangladesh

In their quest to experiment and chop and change too much, in order to get their perfect combination in T20Is ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup next year, India are compromising on quality. They stuttered against South Africa and had a 1-1 series result and in a highly toxic and polluted environment in Delhi, they were crushed by Bangladesh to give them their first win against India in T20Is.

A combination of India’s wavering approach and mindset and Bangladesh stepping up their game a notch higher ensured that the result went in the visitors’ favor in the first T20I. It has to be said that Rohit Sharma is leading a depleted side with Virat Kohli rested and key players like Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar out injured. But for a side that wants to become T20 World Cup champions, they should find a way to maximize what’s available.

Ahead of the second T20I in Rajkot, India would want to reduce the number of errors that they committed in Delhi. Their batsmen didn’t show the required intent and some of them after getting in gave it away very cheaply. The fielding was good overall but Krunal Pandya’s costly drop when Mushfiqur Rahim was on 34 proved to be fatal. Most importantly, India need to get their bowling attack and strategies sorted out.

Keeping the resources available with them for this series, here’s a look at the 3 changes India must make to their team in order to come back and level the three-match series 1-1.

1. Sanju Samson for Rishabh Pant

Pant has shown enormous potential with the way he batted in England and Australia at the beginning of his international career. But post that the burden of expectations has got to him. With everyone calling him the next Dhoni and expecting him to play some attacking shots from the word go, his performances in recent times barring the sensible and calculated 65* at Guyana, have been far from impressive.

With someone like Sanju Samson in the squad who is coming off a scintillating Vijay Hazare Trophy, it’s only fair to give the opportunity ahead of the flamboyant Pant. Samson’s batting has been one of the talking points in recent times as his 212* against Goa is the highest score in the history of Vijay Hazare Trophy.

In 8 games he scored 410 runs at an impressive average of 58.57. He is a much better judge of the turning ball and can be a safe bet behind the stumps to the spin of Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar and Krunal Pandya. The team management must make use of Samson’s purple patch with the bat and draft him into the playing X1. That doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road for the Delhi Capitals wicketkeeper but certainly, it would give him a wake-up call, which hopefully he uses to his benefit.