3 keepers? 3 spinners or Pandya brothers? What should be India's playing XI for 1st T20I

Rohit has to finalize an XI for the first T20I against New Zealand at Wellington from a squad in which every member is an equal contender

Who would not want to be Rohit Sharma? One of the best limited overs cricketers around, now the stand-in Indian captain for the three-match T20I series against New Zealand, endorsements coming at a brisker pace than Matt Henry’s bouncers and what not… To be in Rohit Sharma’s shoes is nothing short of a dream situation for any cricketer. But then there’s another side to it. A piercing headache as a byproduct.

Sample this, Rohit has a difficult task of perhaps finding missing pieces of India’s ODI World Cup squad from T20Is. But he cannot ignore the whistles of next year’s T20 World Cup. Considering India only have 5 T20Is lined up till August this year, he also has to find the right balance in the shortest format.

Then Rohit has to finalize an XI for the first T20I against New Zealand at Wellington from a squad in which every member is an equal contender. He has to make a choice between playing three specialist keepers or hand debut to a 19-year-old youngster. He has to pick between two brothers or play both of them and drop a batsman who he thinks also has the capabilities of a specialist off-spinner. He has to manage the workload of the wrist spinners and decide whether he wants a wicket-taking new-ball partner for Bhuvneshwar Kumar or another seamer who is more effective towards the back end of the innings.

Suddenly, who would want to be Rohit Sharma?

Rarely does an Indian captain face such a scenario ahead of an international fixture. Certainly not after the side has remained undefeated in 10 consecutive T20I series and is just a series-win away from equalling Pakistan’s world record.

But this is the modern Indian side, where there is no fixed playing XI, everyone gets their chances and their workload too is managed properly.

With MS Dhoni returning to the fold after being dropped (rested in selectors words) from the West Indies and Australia T20 series, India now have a solid chance of playing three specialist keepers in Dhoni, Pant and Karthik in the same XI at Wellington. In the last six T20Is, Karthik and Pant had taken turns to keep wickets. But with Dhoni back, there is no way he will sit out or field. That should ideally mean, either one of Pant and Karthik will have to sit out. But there is another catch. The absence of Virat Kohli, which creates a huge void in India’s No. 3 position. Pant did bat at No. 4 against West Indies and generally opens for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in the IPL, making him an ideal candidate to replace Kohli at No. 3. That would, however, considerably weaken India’s fielding. While there is no question of Karthik’s fielding abilities, the same cannot be said about Pant. That’s where India’s wonder kid Shubman Gill comes into the picture.

Gill did not make heads turn in the two opportunities he got in the latter half of the ODI series but has certainly done enough in the nets and in the 32 balls he has faced in the 4th and 5th ODI to keep the Indian coach and captain interested.

Now coming to the middle-order. There is a possibility that Pandya brothers might play together for India for the first time. Hardik is an automatic choice in India’s limited overs sides. Krunal too did not fare badly in his brother’s place in India’s last Two T20I series. The fact that India have not fielded both Chahal and Kuldeep in the playing XI in their last three T20Is, makes Krunal’s case stronger. His left-arm spin bowling which earned him accolades on debut against West Indies and a four-wicket haul against Australia in India's last T20I can be Rohit’s second spin option even in Wellington.

Rohit can also opt for Kedar Jadhav, who did not feature in the three T20s in Australia but is one of the firsts to get a check beside his name when India’s ODI XI is selected. His low-arm spinners can come in handy in the middle.

Rohit’s job is not that difficult when it comes to choosing the seamers. With Bumrah not being there, his go-to man would certainly be Buvneshwar Kumar both at the start and also towards the end of the innings. Siddharth Kaul’s variation and a decent yorker do make him a contender but Rohit might just opt for Khaleel's left-arm angle over him.

India likely Playing XI for 1st T20I: Rohit Sharma(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav/Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul