Four questions India need to answered in the England T20 Series

India currently has more questions than answers when it comes to its T20 side. India possesses great depth in terms of T20 talent but only Rohit, Kohli, Pandya, Bumrah and Chahal are a certainty in India’s strongest T20 XI. The hosts will hope that this series against England helps solve those problems and gives them a clearer idea of what their squad will look like ahead of the World Cup in October. These are the four burning questions India need to be answered in the England T20 series.

Who should open with Rohit?

Rohit Sharma is one of the most destructive opening batsmen in the world and despite his recent indifferent IPL form, he will be opening the batting for India. The main question is whether he will be partnered by KL Rahul or Shikhar Dhawan. While both Dhawan and Rahul had an excellent IPL 2020 with over 600 runs each, Rahul is the more explosive option and has a higher T20I strike-rate than Dhawan.

Who should bat at number four?

One of the most contentious positions in Indian cricket over the past few years has been the number four position. Shreyas Iyer has batted here for India recently but it is difficult to see how much value he brings to the side with a strike rate between 120-130. Other more explosive options India can look at in this series are the Mumbai Indians pair of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan who both scored close to 500 runs in IPL 2020 at a strike rate of 145. 

Can Hardik Pandya bowl again?

India has wrapped Hardik Pandya in cotton wool ever since he suffered a back injury a couple of years ago and the all-rounder has bowled just once in his last 20 T20 games. While the Mumbai Indians could afford to have Pandya in the side as a specialist batsman, India doesn’t have the same luxury. Pandya’s bowling is vital to the balance of the side and if he is still unable to bowl it leaves Kohli with only five bowling options with Pandya batting at six. If Hardik can build up his bowling fitness in this series and bowl only two overs each game, it would provide great flexibility and balance to this Indian line-up.

Which fast-bowlers will emerge in the absence of Bumrah?

Jasprit Bumrah will not be available for the entirety of this series for personal reasons and his absence allows the other pacers to stake their claim for selection. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has not played for the blues since 2019 and India will be hoping he can get back to full fitness ahead of the World Cup and become India’s second pace option. Other alternatives India can look at include Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan and Navdeep Saini. While Chahar and Thakur were disappointing in IPL 2020 Saini offers India some genuine pace and Natarajan gives India the left-handed variety along with his ability to bowl at the death.