Former Indian international cricket player and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has provided his recommendations for changes to India’s starting lineup for the championship match. Because he believes the hosts have a difficult selection problem, Nayar has recommended specific adjustments to the bowling and batting units.
The India vs. West Indies T20I series is tied at 2-2 ahead of the decider, which is scheduled for Saturday, October 17 in Bengaluru. The hosts’ efforts to win the currently tied series will depend heavily on their selection decisions.
“I believe that India is in a difficult situation. I’ll try to follow in Kuldeep Yadav‘s footsteps. I might therefore move Nitish and Axar up one spot and replace Naman Dhir with Kuldeep Yadav. When he has been sent up, Axar Patel has also performed admirably as a floater for Team India. Nayar stated on JioStar, “I am really tempted to play Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, but are you going to play him out of position?
When Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is playing, he plays opening, which is his strongest position. Additionally, whoever is ranked third should play in his strongest position if he is opening. Even though I would be tempted to see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, especially in Bengaluru under such favorable circumstances, I will only alter the bowling, not the batting,” he continued.
Abhishek Nayar’s primary suggestion is to use Kuldeep Yadav in place of Naman Dhir
Kuldeep, 31, most recently participated in a Twenty20 International match against Pakistan during the T20 World Cup in February. The spinner took part in the first two games of the current series but was absent from the next two. Naman Dhir, 26, made his ODI debut against the West Indies on September 27, 2026.
The former assistant coach further contended that Axar Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy ought to be promoted if Kuldeep is added. According to Nayar’s assessment, Axar Patel has demonstrated competence in the floater role since being given it for India. These batting changes would go hand in hand with Nayar’s preferred bowling changes for the previous game.
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Regarding the possible inclusion of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Nayar was wary of endangering the batter’s natural position. If Sooryavanshi plays, Nayar says he should bat at his best position, opening. If Sooryavanshi opens, the number three hitter should play in his strongest position, according to the former assistant coach. Nayar was tempted to add Sooryavanshi in Bengaluru’s advantageous batting conditions, but ultimately he prioritized positional integrity in the batting order.
Nayar still favors switching up the bowling attack over the batting lineup for the final game. He suggested that India field four aggressive bowlers, contingent on Arshdeep Singh’s availability. While maintaining their batting order, this tactic would increase the hosts’ bowling options for the series finale.
