Pandya as opening bowler: Key balancing act for India

Medium-pacer's new ball act is crucial to India's plans at the 2026 T20 World Cup

- Sanjjeev K Samyal [e-mail]

As it often happens in the lead up to World Cups, teams use other competitions to test out their plans for the big event. And that is something a lot of teams including India are doing at the ongoing T20 Asia Cup. The 2026 World Cup, to be played in India and Sri Lanka, will feature conditions similar to the UAE.

Going by their first two matches in Dubai, against the hosts and Pakistan, India's plan is going to be to make best use of their spin attack. Hence everything that is possible will be done to allow the team to field its best spinners, even if it means a pacer has to be sacrificed. India's experiment is largely dependent on the success of Hardik Pandya in the role of their second pace bowler teaming up with Jasprit Bumrah.

The all-rounder is India's X-factor. On the basis of his batting prowess alone he can walk into the T20 side with 1812 runs in 116 matches, scored at a strikerate of 141.67. He lends balance to the side, allowing them to play around with their combination.

In the Asia Cup, coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav have decided to sacrifice their most successful T20 bowler, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, and instead bank on Pandya to perform the fifth specialist bowler's role.