India have been winning one T20I series after another, often with a myriad replacements – but what would be their first-choice XI look like if everyone was available?
Let us begin with the enormity of the task here. Since August 18, 2023, India have played 11 T20I competitions (10 bilaterals, one World Cup). Of these, they have won 10 and drawn one in South Africa. They have won 37 T20Is (including two in Super Over) over this phase and lost only five.
The deepest talent pool in the world, bolstered annually by fresh faces at the IPL, has ensured that the Indian juggernaut has survived a new captain and a revamped coaching staff with seamless ease.
The World Cup final XI, and what has changed
What can be a starting point? At the 2024 T20 World Cup, India became the first team to win the tournament without losing a single match. From the XI that played in the final, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja retired after the final, while Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj seem to have fallen out of T20I contention. We may, however, return to Pant.
That leaves us with Suryakumar Yadav – now captain – Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav. All of them are world-class cricketers in the format, but not all of them may make it.
The locks in the side
Let us start with the six men. Despite his recent string of low scores, “SKY” is one of the certainties, as is Bumrah. With his ability to adapt anywhere in the order, Axar makes a case for himself. As the only one in the country who can bowl four overs of pace and bat in the top six, perhaps even in the top five, Pandya seals a spot as well.
We shall return to Arshdeep and Kuldeep in a bit.
The top-order conundrum
Who will keep wicket? India have preferred Sanju Samson, Pant’s deputy at the T20 World Cup, of late. Time and again has head coach Gautam Gambhir spoken about his preference for batters who can attack from the onset. Samson fits that bill, and has been hitting hundreds too. He will open with Abhishek Sharma, who has out-Samsoned Samson of late, and can chip in with a few overs of spin. Gambhir likes batters who bowl.
Another in-form hitter who bowls is Tilak Varma, to whom Surya had relinquished the No.3 spot earlier this season. In theory, Samson, Abhishek, and Tilak form an ominous-looking top three... until you realise you have not even considered Yashasvi Jaiswal.
What to do? The best batter in the format, anything below No.4 is too low for Surya. One workout around this would be to pick Jaiswal, play him in the top three, and drop Tilak to five. Another option is to leave Samson out, open with Jaiswal and Abhishek, and slot Pant at five... but India may not be too keen on that.
India do not play T20Is for some time, but as things stand now, Jaiswal – after an incredible year in Test cricket – has probably fallen behind in this incredibly competitive race in another format. India are likely to go in with Abhishek, Samson, Tilak, and Surya.
The middle-order floater
There is fierce competition in Rinku Singh and Riyan Parag, both of whom can leap ahead of others over the course of the 2025 IPL. Riyan bowls. Rinku can bowl.
However, as they demonstrated in the 2024 T20 World Cup, India are very likely to prefer Dube for the role for his ability to take spin bowling apart. The next World Cup will, after all, be played in India and Sri Lanka. Hardik and Axar will follow him.
The bowling options, depending on conditions
His recent injury has probably reduced Bumrah’s T20I future to T20 World Cups, but this premise of this piece assumes everyone is fit and available. But who will be the three others?
Varun, for one, has done enough to become one of them. He has leapfrogged all competition over the course of the 2024-25 season to emerge as India’s leading spinner in the format.
That leaves with two options – and here, India may go condition-specific. It is very difficult for the greatest nitpicker to find a fault in Arshdeep, who held his own alongside Bumrah at the World Cup and spearheaded the attack ever since. No one has more wickets in the format.
But what if India stick to their one-pacer formula the way they did throughout the England series, backed by Pandya? That lone fast bowler will obviously be Bumrah. Unless India pick a second fast bowler, Arshdeep may lose his place in the XI to Kuldeep. The gifted Ravi Bishnoi will miss out.
The “insurance” cricketer
Are India likely to pick both Arshdeep and Kuldeep? Some teams would have, but Gambhir – during his stints with the Lucknow Super Giants and the Kolkata Knight Riders as well as with India – has made it evident that he does not like long tails. Besides, if India are to come out all guns blazing from the first ball, they would expect batting cushion.
No.8, thus, is likely to be filled by an all-rounder. This will be one of Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy, and is very likely to depend on the conditions. Whoever it is, there is a chance of him being the least utilised cricketer in the XI, but that was the role India had assigned to Jadeja at the World Cup – the eighth-best batter and the sixth-best bowler. Borderline unnecessary or much-needed insurance, depending on your point of view.
India’s best-choice T20I XI if everyone is available:
Top four: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c). Backup: Yashasvi Jaiswal. One combination is to open with Jaiswal and drop Tilak to five.
Middle order: Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel. Backup: Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag. Dube holds the edge, but the 2025 IPL may change that. Pandya and Axar are locks.
The other all-rounder: Washington Sundar or Nitish Kumar Reddy, depending on conditions.
The bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy. Backup: Kuldeep Yadav will replace Arshdeep if India stick to one-pacer attack.
