It is still early days for Gautam Gambhir in his stint as the India Head Coach. With the series already in the bag, the management might want to try out a few fresh ideas in the last T20I. The final match of the series will happen on Tuesday. In the long run, these experiments could help Gautam Gambhir to plan the future of the squad in the build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup. On that note, here, we take a look at the list of two experiments India could try for the final T20I against Sri Lanka.
1) Opening the batting with Washington Sundar if Gill is still unfit
A few reports suggest that Gautam Gambhir has been working on Sundar‘s batting at the nets. We all know the way Gambhir unleashed Sunil Narine as a batter both when he was a captain and also more recently as a coach. It could very well be the idea of implementing the same project with Sundar.
Sundar has batted before in the top-order in the TNPL. He has also opened the batting in the IPL for RCB. If Gill is still unavailable, it would be a good idea to try him as an opener. At least, Gambhir would get a picture of how he could perform with the willow.
2) Play two left-arm seamers as new-ball bowlers
Playing two left-arm seamers as new-ball bowlers is one of the experiments India could try for the final T20I against Sri Lanka. It has been a while since India had two left-arm pacers sharing the new ball.
With the ODI series coming up, Siraj could be rested and Gambhir could bring Khaleel Ahmed in the playing XI. It would be an interesting combination of Arshdeep and Khaleel with the new ball. Both are excellent with the new ball while Khaleel could still work on his variations at the death. It could be a ploy for the future if the experiment comes out well.
