India’s middle order under pressure ahead of fifth T20I against West Indies

India will look to correct their batting flaws against West Indies in Saturday’s fifth T20I in Bengaluru, with the series tied at 2-2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been added to the squad after Arshdeep Singh sustained a shoulder injury in Hyderabad

Bengaluru: With the West Indies proving unexpectedly feisty, India will need to iron out their batting flaws in what promises to be a high-scoring and closely contested series decider in the fifth T20I here on Saturday.

The run feasts in the first four matches have masked several shortcomings in India’s batting unit. The two sides are locked at 2-2 in the series.

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For the hosts, the problems begin at the top of the order.

Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma have had moments of individual brilliance, striking three half-centuries between them. However, their opening partnerships have yielded 29, 42, seven and 60 runs.

The 60-run stand in Hyderabad was also somewhat misleading, as Samson scored 56, while Abhishek managed just two runs.

Once the partnership was broken, the middle order failed to step up.

Ishan Kishan, skipper Shreyas Iyer and Naman Dhir failed to capitalise on the start provided by Samson, highlighting the gradual decline of India’s core batting unit in the series.

Iyer scored 102 in the first T20I at Lucknow, but his next three outings yielded 40, one and 16. A defeat in Bengaluru would further dent his standing as captain.

After defeats on away tours of Ireland and England, he regained some ground with wins over Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.

Although Iyer is in no immediate danger of losing his position, he will face questions about his ability to guide the team through pressure situations against an experienced and aggressive opposition.

At No. 3, Kishan showed promise but managed scores of 43, 37 and six. His untimely mistakes against Roston Chase and Keemo Paul prevented him from converting his starts into bigger scores.

Dhir, meanwhile, has struggled with the bat, scoring four, 10 and zero.

Even Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy failed to find a boundary for 18 balls between overs 12.1 and 14.4 in Hyderabad, a serious lapse while chasing a target of 248.

They eventually succumbed to the pressure of a rising required run rate and the need to find two or three boundaries every over.

Kuldeep, Bhuvneshwar in contention

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium is generally a challenging venue for bowlers, with its flat pitch and short boundaries.

However, the ground has not hosted an international match since the first Test against New Zealand in October 2024. Since then, it has staged no high-profile matches apart from a handful of IPL fixtures.

The relative unfamiliarity with the pitch could level the playing field to some extent.

In that context, India might consider including Kuldeep Yadav and newly added squad member Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the playing XI on Saturday.

The 36-year-old Bhuvneshwar was added to the Indian squad after fellow pacer Arshdeep Singh sustained a blow to his bowling shoulder during the fourth T20I in Hyderabad. Bhuvneshwar has been brought in as cover, and a decision on his participation will be taken before the match, depending on Arshdeep’s recovery.

Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep, meanwhile, would bring experience to a bowling unit that has so far relied on Arshdeep and Axar Patel for control and wickets. Kuldeep was benched for the third and fourth matches of the series.

Both Arshdeep and Axar have performed well, but the batting-friendly surfaces have blunted their effectiveness to some extent.

Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Dhir and Reddy have struggled to contain the Caribbean batters, although the conditions have not made their task easy.

Kuldeep’s ability to stem the flow of runs in the middle overs could prove useful, particularly if West Indies skipper Shai Hope and the explosive Sherfane Rutherford bat deep.

Hope and Rutherford have been major threats to India, scoring 261 and 221 runs, respectively, to occupy the top two positions in the series batting charts.

India will need to dismiss them early to keep the visitors under pressure, as they did during their 14-run win at Indore in the third T20I.

Bhuvneshwar’s inclusion could also prove significant, given his familiarity with the venue through his IPL stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

A series victory would be an unexpected bonus for the West Indies, who have recently announced several measures to revive cricket in the Caribbean.

Ultimately, the contest could come down to which side handles the pressure better on another potentially batting-friendly pitch. India, however, will be under greater pressure to deliver.

All this could be disrupted if the autumn rain that has lashed Bengaluru in recent days continues.

Teams (from)

India: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma (vc), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

West Indies: Shai Hope (c), Jewel Andrew, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Kamil Pooran, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer.

Match starts at 7 pm.