With the series already sealed, India head into the fourth T20I against New Zealand in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday with two uncomfortable questions still unanswered — the alarming lack of returns from their lead spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy and Sanju Samson’s prolonged slump at the top of the order.
India’s ruthless batting, spearheaded by Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, has steamrolled New Zealand into a 3-0 hole, masking shortcomings that would otherwise have drawn sharper scrutiny. Among them, the underwhelming performances of Kuldeep and Varun stand out.
Kuldeep has, so far, managed just two wickets in as many matches and has looked a pale shadow of his former self, conceding runs at an alarming 9.5 an over. The left-arm wrist-spinner leaked 32 runs in three overs in the third T20I, even as India restricted New Zealand to 153 for nine through disciplined spells from Jasprit Bumrah, Ravi Bishnoi and Hardik Pandya.
Chakravarthy, rested for the third T20I, presents a slightly different case. He featured in two high-scoring encounters where New Zealand posted 190 and 208, but the usual control has been missing. The brief break may have helped him recharge, but India will still be keen to see sharper returns.
With leg-spinner Bishnoi impressing with figures of 4-0-18-2 in Guwahati, India could consider persisting with him and bringing Chakravarthy back in place of Kuldeep to give a breather to the latter. The team management will also monitor Axar Patel’s recovery closely, with the all-rounder sidelined since the opening match due to a finger injury.
While the bowling unit continues to search for cohesion, India’s batting has been nothing short of ferocious. The reworked top order has turned the series into a one-sided spectacle, with Abhishek striking at over 300 and both Suryakumar and Kishan operating close to 230.
Such has been the dominance that India have spent a combined 25.2 overs chasing 209 and 154 in the last two matches, racing to 363 runs with minimal resistance. With dew expected to play a role again in Visakhapatnam, another high-scoring affair appears likely.
Amid the batting carnage, Samson’s returns have been jarringly poor. Given his preferred opening slot in the series, the Kerala batter has mustered just 16 runs in three matches at an average of 5.33, failing to capitalise on a rare run of clarity in role.
After drifting through the middle order last year without a defined position, Samson was expected to make the most of this opportunity. Instead, his continued struggles have only intensified the pressure, especially in a team environment where competition for spots is relentless.
With Tilak Varma still unavailable, Samson may yet be handed another chance, possibly even at No. 3 with Kishan pushed up to open alongside Abhishek. But time is clearly running out, and the margin for error has never been slimmer for the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter.
For New Zealand, little has gone according to plan. Their batters have shown fleeting promise, but the bowling attack has been dismantled repeatedly. Jacob Duffy, with an economy of 10.30, is paradoxically their most economical bowler. The rest make for grim reading, Matt Henry (13.80), Kyle Jamieson (14.20), Mitchell Santner (13.14) and Ish Sodhi (12.50), have all been taken apart by India’s hitters.
Unless the bowlers find answers quickly, another bruising night awaits the visitors.
Squads:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-capt), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravi Bishnoi.
New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi, Tim Seifert.