table of contents
As India prepares for the five-match T20I series against England, former Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara feels the team management is unlikely to make any major changes to the batting order that delivered victory in the 2026 T20 World Cup earlier this year.
The first match of the five-match T20 series will be played on July 1 at Chester-le-Street and Pujara has predicted that the Men in Blue are expected to continue with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as openers, while Ishan Kishan is likely to retain his place at No. 3.
Cheteshwar Pujara predicts no changes to India’s T20 World Cup-winning top order
The trio played a key role in India’s title-winning campaign last year. Sanju Samson enjoyed a dream tournament and finished as the best performing batsman for India. Ishan Kishan also made valuable contributions throughout the competition.
Abhishek Sharma also performed well when it mattered most, playing a crucial innings in the World Cup final against New Zealand. Before the England tour, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are dominating the ICC ODI rankings.
There has been some discussion about whether India will continue to have both Samson and Kishan in the same playing XI as both are wicketkeepers. However, Pujara believes that his recent performances have made it difficult to keep him out of the playing eleven.
“I don’t see any changes in India’s top three of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. Both Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan will definitely be a part of the starting eleven,” Cheteshwar Pujara said on Star Sports.
Cheteshwar Pujara lauds Tilak Verma’s versatility and talks about Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s prospects
Pujara also feels that when India rotates players, young batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi may get a chance on the England tour. He said, “When India rotates its players, Vaibhav Suryavanshi will definitely feature in at least one match.”
The former Test batsman also backed Tilak Verma as the left-handed batsman provides flexibility to the team. “According to me, Tilak is a batsman who can definitely bat in the top three, but at the same time he has shown that he can bat at No. 5 and 6 as well,” Pujara said.
Washington Sundar may get a chance: Pujarat
Talking about the bowling attack, Pujara believes that mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy remains the key spin option for the Men in Blue in T20Is. However, with Varun currently recovering from a leg injury and unavailable, Pujara feels that Washington Sundar may get a chance.
Pujara signed off by saying, “India have options like Axar Patel and then Varun Chakravarthy, who is not an all-rounder, if India wants to play just one spinner then he will be the first choice. When there are more left-handers, Washington may get a chance to have off-spinners and all-rounders.”
India set for historic first T20I match in Belfast
It is noteworthy that the Indian cricket team will play a T20 match in Belfast for the first time. India last played in Belfast in 2007, when they played three ODIs against South Africa and one ODI against Ireland.
In recent years, India has played all its Ireland matches in Dublin. They played two T20Is each in 2018, 2022 and 2023, winning all six matches and maintaining a perfect record there.