7 players with 0 clarity! When and with whom will India's no. 3 search end in T20Is?

India's revolving door at no. 3 in T20Is [Source: @Rajiv1841, @StarSportsIndia/X.com]

The night India lifted the T20 World Cup at Barbados in June 2024 should have been the end of one story and the start of another. Instead, it became the beginning of confusion. 

Back then, India played Rishabh Pant at no. 3, behind openers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. But after Ro-Ko retired and Pant, including many seniors, were prioritised in Tests, India rebuilt the T20I squad with young emerging faces straight from the IPL.

Suryakumar Yadav was made the captain, with Hardik Pandya, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson being mainstays.

It appeared as if India had 2 separate teams for the Tests and T20Is until head coach Gautam Gambhir completely deviated from this approach.

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No. 3 is a position taken for granted

(Table: India's total performers at no. 3 since 2024 T20 World Cup)

Gautam Gambhir revised a fairly successful lineup just months ahead of the T20 World Cup. 

Shubman Gill, who failed to secure a place even as a reserve during the 2024 T20 World Cup, was appointed as vice-captain and promoted as opener over Samson, who scored 3 hundreds in a single calendar year.

No. 3, considered one of the most crucial spots in cricket, was suddenly a revolving door. Since that final in Barbados, India have tried seven different players at no. 3 in T20Is. 

Seven. In less than a year. And with the T20 World Cup 2026 just seven weeks away, India are still searching.

That is worrying. No. 3 in T20 cricket is not a filler position. It is the bridge. Sometimes you walk in during the powerplay, sometimes in damage control, and sometimes with a platform already built. 

It needs skill, flexibility, and trust from the management. Instead, India have treated it like a trial room.

The numbers tell a clear story. Suryakumar Yadav has scored the most runs at no. 3 since the World Cup. His strike rate is strong, his average acceptable, and more importantly, he has played the role before in the IPL.

Tilak Varma, in fewer chances, has been explosive and fearless, showing what a left-hander with intent can do in that slot. Others, like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Shivam Dube, and Axar Patel, have all been tried briefly, then moved on.

Role clarity is massively lacking  

The problem isn’t that these players lack talent. The problem is role confusion. Take Shubman Gill. Sure, he is a classic opener.

But pushing him to the top just to “fit everyone in” has only destabilised the lineup. When Gill opens, the top order slows. When he doesn’t, someone else gets displaced. 

Just recently, Axar Patel, a lower-order all-rounder, was promoted to no. 3 in a 214-run chase against South Africa. His promotion led to Shivam Dube’s demotion at no. 8.

Make it make sense. And the result of all these so-called ‘out of the box’ experiments is that a batting order learns nothing but rather lives in more confusion.

Great T20 sides don’t do this, especially with a big event just around the corner. This is the time to lock roles, not reshuffle them. No. 3 needs to know that they will play even if they fail once or twice. 

Without that assurance, performance will always be fragile. And when no one owns it, no one prepares for it mentally.

Time is running out for India to fix the glaring hole

So when will India’s search end? It should end now.

Pick one, Suryakumar Yadav for experience and control, or Tilak Varma for youth and upside, and commit. These two are the only options to be considered, given their experience in the top order. 

Stop treating no. 3 as a luxury spot. It is the engine room of the innings.

World Cups are not won by talent alone. They are won by clarity. And right now, India’s biggest problem is not ability, it’s indecision.

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