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India take on New Zealand in a three-match T20I series, with the first game scheduled on 18th November, Friday at Wellington. With notable absentees in the form of their top three batters, India are likely to try multiple players in these positions.
Odds are in the favor of Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan to start the series as openers. That leaves us with the question: who will bat at No. 3?
While the openers would likely have little trouble surpassing the performances of the regular openers from the T20 World Cup, the batsman who takes to the crease at No. 3 will have huge shoes to fill, albeit temporarily. Without further delay, we bring you a list of three batsmen who might be playing in a position that has become synonymous with Virat Kohli in recent times.
#3 Shreyas Iyer touted as India's future No. 3
Let's take the easy option out first. Ever since Shreyas Iyer broke onto the scene, there have been talks that he could be a future Indian captain. With a total of 1030 runs in the 43 innings (47 matches) that he has played, one could argue that he has lived up to the expectations.
Iyer's last five T20I outings read scores of 1, 64, 24, 10 and 0. It is worth noting that his only 50+ innings came when he opened the innings.
Despite Iyer's recent appearance at No. 3 position for the Men in Blue having been unremarkable, he might be hoping to get a spot in the playing XI on the back of his form in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
#2 Deepak Hooda holds a record while batting at this position
Deepak Hooda became the fourth Indian batsman to score a T20I century when he batted at No. 3 in the second T20I against Ireland, which took place on 28 June 2022. His overall record in this position looks promising, too. Hooda has scored a total of 196 runs in four innings, with an astounding average of 49 and good strike rate of 166.10.
Hooda played a solitary game against South Africa in the T20 World Cup, and was unable to make it count. With the big names missing out on the tournament against New Zealand and rumors swirling about BCCI planning to assemble a new-look Indian side for the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup, Hooda has a lot to play for in the upcoming T20I series.
#1 Sanju Samson deserves an opportunity at No. 3
If there is a player in the Indian squad for the T20I series against New Zealand who is tailor-made for the No. 3 position, then it is none other than Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson. He played a similar role for his IPL side and more often than not proved good with the bat at the top.
While it is hard to predict when the No. 3 will come in to bat, it goes without saying that that batter in that position should be aggressive enough to score in the powerplay and also be solid enough to pace the innings in the middle overs. And Samson suits this role perfectly.
It is quite strange that he has only scored 296 runs in 15 T20I innings so far. But all this could change if the management decides to play him in the No. 3 position that many believe he rightfully deserves.
