India vs Bangladesh T20 World Cup: 3 Changes India can make for IND vs BAN match

India vs Bangladesh: India lost their first match of this T20 World Cup a few days ago against South Africa. This has made their chances to top the group grim. Barring this defeat, India had a terrific start to their T20 World Cup 2022 campaign. They defeated their arch-rivals Pakistan in a last-ball thriller at the MCG and then went on to beat the Netherlands at SCG. But in all these matches, the openers have failed to deliver. With KL Rahul in particular, struggling for form. Moreover, in the last match, in particular, the move to bring Hooda in place of Axar also backfired the team big time.

Coach Dravid and Captain Rohit Sharma will be keen to address those issues before going to the next match. As implied by Rohit before the World Cup, this Indian team is quite flexible in their approach and may not stick to just one playing XI or plan for every match. Keeping this in mind, let’s see the 3 possible changes that India can make for their next match against South Africa.

1. Axar Patel to replace Deepak Hooda

In the match against South Africa, India brought in Deepak Hooda in place of Axar Patel and that move backfired the team big time. Not only did he not make any significant contribution but his inclusion also meant, India missed out on the few over of Axar which could’ve worked as a perfect backup for Ashwin, who was hit for plenty. Even though unexpected, this move was understandable as Perth was a bouncy track and the team needed extra batting cushion. But with the team now scheduled to play in Adelaide, India is expected to go back to Axar Patel.

2. Rishabh Pant to replace Dinesh Karthik

Indian finisher and wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik got injured in the match against South Africa. Rishabh Pant replaced him as keeper in the last few overs of the game. As per reports, Karthik is yet to recover and may not take the field against Bangladesh. In that case, Rishabh Pant for sure will replace him in the eleven and will keep the wickets.

3. Pant to Open the innings, Rahul to be the finisher

One area that has affected India in the last three matches is the opening batting. Both Rohit nor Rahul hasn’t been able to get India to a good start, with Rahul being the first one to get out in all three situations. He is struggling for form and is eating up too many deliveries in the powerplay. As Karthik is injured, Rishabh Pant will make his way into the side. He could replace Rahul as the opener and Rahul could move to finishing the innings, a role which he has been doing so well for India in the ODIs. This could also help Rishabh to unleash his true potential at the top of the order.