Former Indian Test opener Wasim Jaffer believes India can rest either Abhishek Sharma or Ishan Kishan in the final T20I against Afghanistan. India has taken an impregnable lead of 2-0 against Afghanistan after winning the second game by seven wickets, and Shreyas Iyer hinted that the team could make some changes to their playing XI.
Jaffer said Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could get his chance in the playing XI. Sooryavanshi has been in prime form as he scored 151 runs in three games against Zimbabwe when Sanju Samson was not picked in the squad. Furthermore, the left-hander scored 192 runs in five innings of the Duleep Trophy for East Zone.
Wasim Jaffer said on his YouTube Channel, “Playing Vaibhav won’t be a bad option. According to me, Abhishek has performed well in both matches. Even Ishan Kishan, for that matter. Ishan Kishan played in the Duleep Trophy as well. So, maybe you can give Ishan Kishan a break. Vaibhav can open the batting and one of Abhishek and Sanju bats at No. 3. You can also give Abhishek a break if you want to.”
The former Vidarbha captain highlighted how Jasprit Bumrah’s return has boosted India’s bowling attack. Bumrah has scalped two wickets in two games of the series and has conceded his runs at an economy rate of 6.38.
“Jasprit Bumrah has come back after a big break. When Bumrah is in rhythm, it’s a totally different thing. He is an amazing X-factor of our Indian bowling who bowls important overs.”
On the other hand, Nitish Kumar Reddy returned with impressive figures of 3-24 in three overs he bowled in the second game. However, Jaffer said we should not get carried away with the all-rounder’s performance.
“Nitish Kumar Reddy bowled really well and won the Man of the Match. This is a good sign. We spoke after the last match that we have not found a good replacement for Hardik Pandya. Nitish Reddy performed really well in the very next match. Let’s not get carried away, but this is what we expect from Nitish Kumar Reddy or even Shivam Dube: to bowl two to three overs, whether in the middle or late overs.”
The third and final T20I between Afghanistan and India will be played at Delhi on Thursday.
