The Indian cricket team was outplayed by Pakistan in their opening match of the ICC T20 World Cup. They lost the game by 10 wickets, as Pakistan chased down 152 in 18 overs.
Batting first, India’s openers were dismissed very early by Shaheen Afridi. The skipper, Virat Kohli tried to stabilize the innings, however, wickets kept falling from the other end. India managed 151 runs on the back of Kohli’s 57 and Rishabh Pant’s 39. In reply, the Pakistani openers, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan chased down the score comfortably.
Time to reflect and come back stronger 👍#TeamIndia #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/ZGvkQAMASy
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 24, 2021
With India scheduled to take on New Zealand in the next match, the Virat Kohli-led team will be desperate to make things fall in line.
In this article, let’s take a look at the three possible changes India can make to their playing XI for the next game against New Zealand.
#3. Ishan Kishan
India’s all-rounder Hardik Pandya was forced to leave India vs Pakistan match mid-way due to an injury. In the first innings, while batting, he took a blow on his shoulders while he was batting. Hardik was later taken to the hospital for scans. There has been no further official update yet.
The all-rounder was playing as a proper batter, as he is not yet fit to bowl. He could not contribute much with the bat as he was dismissed for 11 runs off 8 deliveries by Haris Rauf. Ishan Kishan can replace Hardik Pandya in the XI for the next match.
The wicket-keeper batter stormed back to form against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2021. He also had a great outing in India’s first ICC T20 World Cup warm-up game against England, slamming 70 runs off 46 balls, before retiring hurt. With Hardik Pandya not fully fit, India could go in with the in-form Ishan Kishan.
#2. Shardul Thakur
As Bhuvneshwar Kumar continues to struggle, India can look at Shardul Thakur as his replacement for the next match. Bhuvneshwar Kumar looked off-color throughout the UAE leg of the Indian Premier League 2021. His performance was disappointed even in the warmup matches leading into the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Against Pakistan, Bhuvneshwar conceded 25 runs in three overs, at an economy rate of 8.3.
Pacer, Shardul Thakur could replace Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the playing XI. Along with his knack for providing crucial breakthroughs, Shardul will also be a very good addition to the batting line-up. He has previously proved his batting acumen at the International level.
#3. Rahul Chahar
Rahul Chahar had a decent outing in the warm-up matches of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. He went for many runs in the first game but was pretty economical against Australia in the second. The legspinner has impressed everyone in his short international career so far. He could replace Varun Chakravarthy in the playing XI for the next match.
Varun Chakravarthy conceded 33 runs in his four overs at an economy rate of 8.2 against Pakistan. He was also very expensive in the warmup match against Australia. Though it will be harsh on Varun, as it’s just the early days in the tournament, the mystery spinner could make way for Rahul Chahar in the XI.
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