“I Would Play Ishan Kishan Over Sanju Samson For The Final T20I”: Parthiv Patel

Shivam Dube’s onslaught went in vain as New Zealand were able to secure a consolation 50-run win against India in the fourth T20I in Vizag. Parthiv Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal spoke about India’s need for batting depth, Dube’s improvement in batting, and Sanju Samson's run of form.

Parthiv Patel explained how India’s defeat in Vizag will force the hosts to rethink their strategy going into the final T20I:

“The team management was talking about having a batter at number eight, and that will now be the strategy for the fifth T20I and the T20 World Cup because after this defeat, one thing is clear, that the idea of playing with only six batters is not going to work. It also raises another question: do you want to open with an out-of-form Sanju Samson

at the T20 World Cup? He is clearly struggling. I know runs don’t always come, but the worrying part is how he is getting out, whether in the first three matches or this game. That’s why the question remains. As for the five-bowler strategy, it can work. But with India’s aggressive batting approach, you need solid batting depth till number eight. In this match, wickets kept falling, but Shivam Dube still smashed a fifty in 15 balls. That shows we will keep attacking, so you need that cushion of a batter at eight.”

On Shivam Dube’s growth:

“Two years ago, in 2023-2024, fast bowlers used short-pitched balls to get Shivam Dube out because that was his weakness. He would get dismissed quite often against the seamers, but that weakness is gone. He has improved a lot and has performed consistently for India. T20 is a format for specialists, and Shivam Dube is an ultra-pro specialist. When spinners come on, he bats in the middle and terrorizes them with big shots. In this match, he destroyed the New Zealand bowlers, not just spinners, but fast bowlers too, using his hook shots well. The time he spent batting in the middle is a big positive for India heading into the T20 World Cup. But Shivam hasn’t surprised anyone. We know his potential, and he is more than capable of such knocks. He proved his doubters wrong by hitting the third fastest T20I fifty by an Indian, in just 15 balls.”

On selecting Ishan Kishan over Sanju Samson in the final T20I:

“If I was part of Team India’s think tank, I would play Ishan Kishan over Sanju Samson for the last match of the series. I would make Sanju sit out and go with Ishan as the wicketkeeper-batter. I am choosing this because if I want Ishan as my main keeper for the T20 World Cup, I would give him the keeping gloves in the fifth T20I and the warm-up against South Africa too. It is likely that Tilak Varma will be fit before the World Cup, and reports suggest he will be. If he is fully fit, you have to keep a spot for him. So, if that decision is coming, why wait? Play Ishan Kishan now over Sanju Samson in the final match. Ishan is coming back after two years and has batted well. He will need to keep wickets in the T20 World Cup as well, so why not start now? Even if the last match is at home, for World Cup preparation, I would definitely play Ishan Kishan as the wicketkeeper-opener.”

Yuzvendra Chahal analysed India’s six-batter strategy:

“The Indian dressing room will have serious talks about the six-batter strategy because Ishan Kishan was dropped despite doing well in the first three games of the series. When you are chasing 200-plus scores, you need batting depth and solid options till number eight. In this match, Shivam Dube batted well, but he didn’t receive the required support from the other batters because if the top-order had contributed more, the chase would have been easier. India lost early wickets, which put pressure on the middle-order. Dube’s knock gave hope, but after he got out, the lack of batters at number seven and eight was exposed. This loss will change the team management’s thinking. India will not want to repeat this mistake at the T20 World Cup. Players like Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel will return. Ishan Kishan may get more chances. The return of Tilak Varma is also highly awaited. All these changes will be crucial for India’s hopes of retaining the trophy at the T20 World Cup.”

On Sanju Samson’s extended run of failures:

“Sanju Samson has played for many years. He started in the IPL middle-order, then became an opener. After playing international cricket for 10-12 years, pressure shouldn’t be an excuse. He has had four chances in this series. I can accept failure in one or two matches, but not in three or four. He knows someone like Ishan Kishan, who is the backup and is batting well at number three, is waiting. Sanju will blame himself. He had four opportunities but could not make them count. However, there’s no need to feel too bad because the T20 World Cup is still far. There’s one more match against New Zealand. It now depends on the team management’s thinking. If they feel Sanju is struggling as an opener and Ishan is doing well at number three, then the right call would be to make Sanju sit out and let Ishan Kishan take his spot as the opener and wicketkeeper in the final T20I.”