Will the India cricket team test their bench stage after sealing their spot in the Super 8? The Men in Blue have been in splendid touch, winning all three Group Stage matches. Now that qualification pressure has been released and they are moving from New York to Florida, will Rohit Sharma tinker with the winning Playing XI in the India vs Canada match?
Kuldeep Yadav for Jasprit Bumrah?
Bumrah has been at his best in the T20 World Cup so far. He’s already taken five wickets in 3 matches and has dominated every team and phase of the game. However, given that he’s coming off a hectic IPL 2024 season and has now played three games on the trot, Rohit Sharma might just tell the fast bowler to kick up his feet and prepare for the Super 8 matches.
This will also help Team India assess who will be their second fast bowler. With the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup being entirely held in the West Indies, the pitches are going to become more spin-inducive. This means the Indian management will likely drop one of their pacers for a spinner.
Right now, Kuldeep Yadav is heads and shoulders above as a spinner when compared with Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, or Yuzvendra Chahal. Given that Axar and Jadeja are all-rounders, they won’t be dropped, and so a pacer in either Arshdeep or Siraj has to make way.
By resting Bumrah and playing Kuldeep against Canada, Rohit will be able to access which of the other two pacers will be in the Playing XI for the Super 8 stage, give Kuldeep the required match time and in-game practice, and keep Bumrah fresh and ready for the next stage.
Predicted India Playing XI vs Canada
1. Rohit Sharma (c)
2. Virat Kohli
3. Rishabh Pant (wk)
4. Suryakumar Yadav
5. Shivam Dube
6. Hardik Pandya (vc)
7. Ravindra Jadeja
8. Axar Patel
9. Jasprit Bumrah/Kuldeep Yadav
10. Arshdeep Singh
11. Mohammed Siraj
