India off-spinner R Ashwin was confused about the roles that Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, and Washington Sundar will play in the Indian team in the three-match New Zealand T20I series which began with a washout at Wellington on November 18, 2022.
As Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli are resting, the selectors chose to give new blood a chance to showcase their talent against the might of New Zealand in their own backyard. There are multiple options for captain Hardik Pandya and coach VVS Laxman to choose from for every spot in the XI.
Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, and Rishabh Pant are choices for the opening spots. Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, and Suryakumar Yadav are probable contenders for batting at No.3. There are three spinners in Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Washington Sundar in the squad.
And if it is considered that Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh are first-choice picks, then only one of Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, and Umran Malik can play as the third seamer.
Talking about the same on his YouTube channel, R Ashwin said that he was confused about whom to pick as Shubman Gill’s opening partner from Kishan and Pant, as he felt the Punjab batter is a sure shot pick.
"As far as I am concerned, Shubman Gill is a lock at the top of the order. Who is going to be the second opener? Ishan Kishan or Rishabh Pant? Even Wasim Jaffer tweeted that we will see the best of Rishabh Pant if he bats at the top of the order. Ishan has been travelling a lot with the team but he is not getting extended run as a player," Ashwin said.
"Anyway, Shreyas Iyer at 3, and Suryakumar Yadav at 4 are a lock. There will be a temptation to send Suryakumar Yadav at 3. But I think Shreyas has earned his right. So, Shreyas will go at three and Surya will bat at 4," Ashwin said.
Ashwin, like many others, was confused about the role Sanju Samson might play in this Indian T20I side.
"Will Sanju Samson finish an innings? Or will he be used in the middle order to give impetus, take on the spinners, play his pulls, and use the short square boundaries? Or will Sanju Samson get a chance?" he asked.
He also wondered what role Washington Sundar would play in the Indian XI.
NZ v IND 2022: 'Playing at Lancashire gave me a lot of experience' - Washington Sundar
"If you send Rishabh Pant at the top, we won't have any left-handers in the middle order. Not having a left-hander in the middle order is also highly spoken about. Having a left-right combination in the middle is really important in T20s. Is there a left-hand middle-order option available? The only other option left is Washington Sundar. I don't know whether they will bat him at number 5. If they don't see him in that role, I don't know where else he will fit in this squad. Remember, this is a comeback for Washington Sundar as well," he said.
The second T20I will be played at Mount Maunganui on Sunday, November 20.
