Ahmedabad: India’s Sanju Samson plays (PTI Photo/Shashank Parade) NEW DELHI: With just 50 days to go in the Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, Team India’s numbers no longer scream dominance, though recent results offer some comfort.As the defending champions, India began their post-2024 title run in ruthless fashion, winning 17 of their next 20 T20Is. Nine scores crossed the 200 mark, five of them were 220 plus and three crossed the 245 mark, underscoring that the batting unit is operating well ahead of the curve. This curve has flattened since the 2025 Asian Cup. India’s overall strike rate fell to 141.64, a worrying drop for a side that redefined intent at the top of the order.
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Since the Asia Cup, Abhishek Sharma remains the only Indian batsman above 145. Everyone else has slowed down and the biggest talking point has shifted to the new opening combination. The Sanju Samson–Abhishek Sharma partnership set the tone for India’s surge after the 2024 FIFA World Cup. In 13 innings, the pair scored at a run rate of 10.05 and an average of 25.38. This early momentum allowed India to maintain a strike rate of 154.56 through the middle overs and 169.39 at the death.The dynamic changed when Shubman Gill returned to the playing XI as part of the management’s long-term plan. Samson, who amassed 417 runs in 12 T20Is at a rate of 183.70 with three centuries at the top, was moved down the order. His returns to the Asia Cup were mixed, although he still finished as India’s third highest run-getter with 132 runs, behind Abhishek Sharma (314) and Tilak Varma (213). Australia’s solitary outing at No. 3 ended without impact, after which Samson was dropped from the playing eleven.Gill’s own returns since his comeback have been astounding. In 15 matches, he scored 291 runs at an average of 24.25 and a success rate of 137, without a single fifty. The numbers point to a batter looking for rhythm at a time when India’s top order needs clarity more than caution.Speaking at the JioStar press center ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup, former India batsman Robin Uthappa, who was part of the 2007 World Cup winning team, was clear about the balance he wants to see. “Personally, I wouldn’t want to mess with the opening combination,” said JioStar expert Uthappa. “I would like to see Sanju bat at No. 3, Tilak at No. 4 and Surya at No. 5. Suryakumar Yadav is playing his best cricket outside the powerplay. Tilak Verma needs a key role in this team, so No. 4 suits him.”Uthappa explained that placing Tilak Verma at No.4 and Suryakumar Yadav at No.5 would free up the top order. “That gives the openers and the No.3 position the authority to go hard,” he said.
India’s Shubman Gill (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
He then went directly to Gill’s role. “You can have someone like Shubman Gill to play the role of anchoring the sheet, which India desperately needs right now, so everyone else can play aggressively around him. India can still use the hyper-aggressive batting template that has worked for them, while Gill bats at 140-150, which is where he thrives. It’s similar to the role Virat Kohli played in the last T20 World Cup.”But the concerns go beyond Gill herself. India’s intent also fell due to Suryakumar’s extended lean patch. In 2025, the skipper scored just 213 runs from 20 matches at an average of 14.20 and a strike rate of 125.29. Both captain and vice-captain are struggling for form and the pressure has inevitably shifted to the middle order.In the same interaction, former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan emphasized that the experimentation phase must now end. “There has been a lot of talk about chopping and changing,” JioStar expert Pathan said. “I think the team management has tried to understand who can play different roles, but now is not the time to experiment. When the World Cup starts, it has to be clear who is shooting in which position.”That experimentation was evident. In the last two T20I series against Australia and South Africa, India have tried several options at No.3, including Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and even Axar Patel.Pathan also did not hide his concern over Suryakumar’s form. “As a captain, you have to bat well and be in form to make it to a big tournament like the World Cup,” he said. “It’s not just that he’s not scoring, but that his strikeout rate is also going down. His strikeout rate is generally around 166, but it’s down to about 119 over the last year.”Referring to Abhishek Sharma’s high-risk approach at the top, Pathan said such a style will inevitably lead to the occasional early dismissal and that is acceptable. “He doesn’t need to change,” Pathan said. “That’s why he’s been successful. But then comes the pressure on the middle order. When you have Suryakumar Yadav in form, it becomes a completely different game. Hopefully he can find a way to stay at the crease a bit longer and get those runs in before the World Cup.”What Team India needs right now is certainty of roles. With the World Cup fast approaching, rediscovering pace, solidifying roles and getting their leaders back between races may matter far more than any tactical tweaks.
