The India versus West Indies T20I series stands level at 2-2 heading into the decider scheduled for Saturday, October 17 in Bengaluru. With the series evenly poised, selection decisions will prove crucial for the hosts in their bid to clinch the contest.
Former Indian international cricketer and former Assistant Coach Abhishek Nayar has outlined his preferred changes to India's playing XI for the final match. Nayar believes the hosts face a difficult selection puzzle and has recommended specific adjustments to both the bowling and batting units.
"I think India are in a Catch-22 situation. I'll take a punt and try and go the Kuldeep Yadav way. So, I may replace Naman Dhir with Kuldeep Yadav and get Nitish and Axar one place up. Axar Patel has also played that role of a floater really well for Team India when he has been sent up. I am very tempted to play Vaibhav Sooryavanshi," Nayar said on JioStar.
"But are you going to play him out of position? If Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is playing, then he plays in his strongest position, which is opening. And if he is opening, then whoever is number three should also be playing in his strongest position. However tempted I may be to see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, that too in Bengaluru in such good conditions, I will make changes in the bowling, not in the batting at all," he added.
Nayar's primary suggestion centres on including left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav in place of Naman Dhir. Kuldeep, aged 31, last featured in a T20I during February at the T20 World Cup against Pakistan. The spinner played in the first two matches of the current series but was absent from the next two contests. Naman Dhir, 26, made his ODI debut against West Indies on September 27, 2026.
The former assistant coach also advocated for moving Nitish Kumar Reddy and Axar Patel up the order if Kuldeep is included. Axar Patel has demonstrated proficiency in the floater role when deployed in that capacity for India, according to Nayar's assessment. These batting adjustments would accompany the bowling changes Nayar prefers for the decider.
Regarding the possibility of including Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Nayar expressed caution about compromising the batter's natural position. Nayar stated that if Sooryavanshi plays, he should bat at his strongest position, which is opening. The former assistant coach reasoned that if Sooryavanshi opens, then the number three batter should also play in his strongest position. Despite the temptation to include Sooryavanshi in Bengaluru's favourable batting conditions, Nayar ultimately prioritised maintaining positional integrity in the batting order.
Nayar's preference remains to modify the bowling attack rather than alter the batting lineup for the decider. He suggested India should field four attacking bowlers, subject to the availability of Arshdeep Singh. This approach would allow the hosts to maintain their batting structure while strengthening their bowling options for the final match of the series.
