3 tactical tweaks Team India need to make to win the 4th T20I vs West Indies

Team India might still be alive in the five-match T20I series against West Indies, but their tactical decisions and team selection have come under scrutiny in the Caribbean.

Captain Hardik Pandya and the team management have been unusually off the mark with their strategies. This has been one of the biggest reasons behind India digging themselves into a 0-2 hole to kick off the rubber.

Both games were close encounters and could've turned out differently, had the visitors been slightly more astute at crucial junctures.

The Men in Blue recovered fairly well with a convincing win in Guyana to set up an enticing USA leg of the tour, but they definitely need to up their game. Ahead of their decisive clash at Lauderhill in Florida on Saturday, August 12, Hardik and co. have some introspection to do.

Here are three tactical tweaks Team India need to make to win the fourth T20I against West Indies.

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#3 The Men in Blue need to target Nicholas Pooran with pace at the body

Nicholas Pooran is hitting a glorious purple patch in his career

Nicholas Pooran has been West Indies' standout batter in the series so far. Following his splendid performances in Major League Cricket 2023, the southpaw returns to the USA with fiery knocks in each of the three T20Is against India.

The Men in Blue managed to dismiss Pooran somewhat early in the previous game, with the left-hander's negative match-up against Kuldeep Yadav bringing about his downfall. Apart from Kuldeep, though, India haven't been able to trouble the explosive batter much.

Hardik Pandya has attemped to bounce Pooran out, and the plan has been reasonably successful at keeping him quiet. However, it just seems silly to let the batter feast on the likes of Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal.

It will be in India's best interests to attack Pooran with pace at the body by bringing in either Mukesh Kumar or Arshdeep Singh apart from Hardik in the middle overs, something they haven't done so far. They can't afford to err much when it comes to the home side's superstar batter in current form.

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#2 India need to bowl less of Yuzvendra Chahal in the powerplay

Yuzvendra Chahal picked up four wickets in the opening two T20Is

In the third T20I, India used Mukesh as a specialist death-bowling option as he sent down the 18th and 20th overs. In the powerplay, meanwhile, they used four overs of spin, with Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal taking over those duties.

However, while their intention to shield the duo from Pooran was a smart call, they can't afford to bowl two overs of Chahal with the field restrictions in play. The leg-spinner tossed the ball up with abandon and got hit for 17 runs in those two overs. It could have been much worse had Brandon King not kept Kyle Mayers off strike for the most part.

Mukesh needs to take the new ball, and India should look to squeeze out a few overs of pace from Hardik and Arshdeep Singh in the powerplay. Bowling Axar makes sense, but Chahal has never been a reliable option at that stage of the innings.

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#1 Hardik Pandya should bat at No. 7 for Team India

Hardik Pandya's ideal batting position has been a major source of debate lately

This might be a slightly controversial one. Hardik Pandya hasn't been able to accelerate from the outset very often lately, leading to a higher batting position across the teams he has played for.

However, given the current make-up of India's T20I side, Hardik might need to lead from the front in a different way - by modifying his game in such a way that he can be the finisher and bring the best out of the other batters in the middle order.

Sanju Samson and Axar are being wasted at No. 6 and No. 7 respectively, with neither batter getting enough time to make an impact. Moreover, the latter has sometimes been left to bat with the tail, a job that should ideally fall on the skipper as he is more suited to it.

Hardik has arguably shown a tendency to bat and bowl during the easiest match situations, a trend that doesn't befit a captain who wants to set the precedent. Him batting at No. 7 could be India's best bet at maximizing their current T20I playing XI's potential.