India will be up against New Zealand for the final T20I match of the series on Wednesday (February 1).
The men in Blue will be eyeing another series win as the series is balanced at 1-1 after the first two matches. The Kiwis won the first match in Ranchi, while India came back strongly in Lucknow.
But ahead of the match in Ahmedabad, Indian thinktank are already looking to make at least one change to the side. According to Times of India, India are aiming to bring in Prithvi Shaw for Ishan Kishan for the final match at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Ishan Kishan has struggled in the T20I format despite getting numerous chances. The southpaw has struggled to score runs quickly and has disappointing numbers in the last few matches. Kishan has only scored 199 runs in last 13 T20I innings, with an average of 15 and a low strike rate of just 106.
Amid this, Prithvi Shaw can be an ideal alternative at the top of the order. Shaw's form coming into the India squad has been blistering as the batter has dismantled bowlers across all the formats. He scored 332 runs in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy at a strike rate of 181, and continued his destructive way in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well.
His selection to the Indian squad was not surprising at all and now it seems the Mumbai batter will be making a return to the India squad for the first time in two and half years. His last international game was a T20I affair against Sri Lanka in July, 2021.
India can also bring in Jitesh Sharma as a keeper and drop Rahul Tripathi for the final game. Tripathi has failed with the bat, accumulating just 13 runs after two matches. And hard-hitting Jitesh Sharma can make his debut in Ahmedabad. His wicketkeeping ability will also balance the team if Kishan is excluded from the side.
On the other hand, Mukesh Kumar has been released from the India squad and the Bengal bowler has started playing for his state in the Ranji quarterfinals. It means he won't be available for selection on Wednesday.
Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya (C), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Umran Malik/Arshdeep Singh.