Defending champions India are considering changing their struggling opening partnership ahead of a must-win Super Eights clash with Zimbabwe in Chennai on Thursday.
With qualification for the semi-finals hanging in the balance, India are considering wicketkeeper Sanju Samson as a possible option at No. 1 for their second Super Eight match.
Opener Abhishek Sharma had a poor game, including three consecutive defeats, which compounded India’s problems. The defending champions suffered a humiliating 76-run defeat to South Africa’s national cricket team at the start of the Super Eights, leaving them with little room for error.
The eligibility equation is now simple. Win the remaining two games and promotion remains largely in India’s hands. If a mistake occurs, they may be forced to rely on other results.
Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak confirmed that discussions on the combination are ongoing internally.
“Yes, there may be changes,” Kotak told reporters. “Obviously, it goes without saying that we’re going to talk about it because there are two left-handed openers and the third one is left-handed.”
While Kotak played down concerns about a left-leaning top order, he acknowledged that repeated early dismissals had prompted soul-searching.
“I personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, but because we lost a wicket in the first of three games, obviously any team would think that,” he said.
India’s batting core is predominantly left-handed and this is a pattern that opponents exploit. Teams like Pakistan National Cricket Team, Netherlands National Cricket Team and South Africa all started with low spin, eliminating one of the openers in the first round.
In the loss to South Africa, captain Aiden Markram spun off the bat and Ishan Kishan fell on the fourth ball.
Samson, a right-hander, had featured in the earlier match against Namibia when Abhishek was unfit and could provide balance at the top.