“It’s a very tough call” - Sunil Gavaskar suggests two changes to Team India’s XI vs New Zealand

Former Indian opening batter and commentator Sunil Gavaskar has suggested that the Indian team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, make two important changes to their playing XI for the grand finale against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8.

While the first change is of axing Abhishek Sharma from the XI and bringing in Rinku Singh to the middle-order, the second change is to bring in Kuldeep Yadav for the under-performing Varun Chakravarthy.

Notably, Sharma has mustered only 89 runs from seven innings at an average of 12.71 and a strike rate of 130.88 with a half-century in the ongoing mega event. Interestingly, his scores in the campaign read 0, 0, 0, 15, 55, 10, and 9.

On the other hand, Varun Chakravarthy failed to create an impact in the last four outings in the showpiece event, conceding a lot of runs despite emerging as the leading wicket-taker for the hosts. 

"It's a very tough call. Abhishek Sharma is the No. 1 batter in the ICC T20 rankings, but he hasn't learned from his dismissals. He keeps getting out in the same region where his arms are cramped for room. Bowlers are targeting that area and forcing mistakes. My concern is that he either hasn't adjusted yet or is unable to change his approach," Gavaskar told India Today.

"I would like to see Ishan Kishan open the batting with Sanju Samson, with Rinku Singh coming into the side. Rinku has that belief, you've probably seen the 'God's Plan' tattoo on his body, and sometimes things just work out for players like him," Gavaskar added.

"The other change I would consider is bringing in Kuldeep Yadav. Varun Chakravarthy's confidence looks shattered at the moment. Since the Super Eight stage, when he faced stronger teams, he has struggled and conceded a lot of runs. At a ground like the Narendra Modi Stadium, with big boundaries, Kuldeep Yadav could be a good option because he can turn the ball even on flat surfaces," Gavaskar concluded

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