India’s chance to sweep series as well as test bench strength

Bhuvneshwar likely to be retained to keep Friday’s momentum going

India enters the third and final T20I against the West Indies here on Sunday with an unassailable 2-0 lead, which could lead the host to test the bench strength. At a minimum, a couple of changes will certainly happen, as Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant have been rested for this outing and the upcoming Sri Lanka T20I series. 

Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda and Ruturaj Gaikwad, all of whom did not feature in the first two T20Is, are the batting replacements available. Shreyas can fill in for Kohli in the middle-order, while Hooda is in line to make his T20I debut. Ishan Kishan will take over wicketkeeping duties from Pant. If Kishan is relieved of his opener’s spot, Gaikwad could be drafted in.

The team management will be tempted to retain Bhuvneshwar Kumar, given his splendid show in the second T20I. A stellar 19th over, where he conceded just four runs and picked up the big wicket of Nicholas Pooran, sealed the match in India’s favour. 

A clever mix of yorkers, slower deliveries and bouncers, executed perfectly in a pressure situation, proved that Bhuvneshwar is well equipped to spearhead India’s end-overs bowling. He more than made up for spilling a caught and bowled chance offered by Rovman Powell, which caused captain Rohit Sharma to kick the ball in frustration.

Only last month, Bhuvneshwar’s wicketless run in the ODI leg of the South Africa tour had raised eyebrows. The fast bowler, who has not played a Test since 2018 due to recurring injury concerns, has silenced his doubters in these T20Is.

If Bhuvneshwar can stay fit, he can play a key role at the ICC T20 World Cup later this year. 

Bhuvneshwar’s pace partners Deepak Chahar and Harshal Patel went for runs, and failed to get a wicket, on Friday. Given that Rohit has the liberty to tinker with the team combination, the likes of benched speedsters Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan will fancy their chances of getting a look-in.