India’s campaign in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has reached a critical stage, and former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes a tactical batting reshuffle could help the team regain control. Pathan has suggested promoting Suryakumar Yadav to the No.3 position in India’s must-win Super 8 clash against the Zimbabwe national cricket team in Chennai. India’s semi-final hopes suffered a major setback after their heavy defeat to the South Africa national cricket team in Ahmedabad.
The situation became even more complicated when the West Indies cricket team comfortably defeated Zimbabwe on February 23, tightening the qualification race in the Super 8 stage. With little room for error, India now face a high-pressure scenario where every decision—from team selection to batting order—could shape their tournament fate. One of the biggest talking points has been the form of Abhishek Sharma and the impact of Tilak Varma at No.3.
While Abhishek has struggled for consistency, Tilak has also found it difficult to anchor the innings. The young left-hander has managed 107 runs from five matches at a strike rate of 118.88, numbers that highlight India’s struggles to build momentum at the top. Another tactical concern is India’s left-heavy top order. Currently, the first three batters are left-handers, making it easier for opposition teams to plan bowling match-ups. Pathan believes promoting Suryakumar to No.3 could immediately address this imbalance.
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“Maybe Surya should bat at number 3. To actually take away those three left-handers coming one after the other and just change that monotony,” Irfan Pathan said while speaking to the broadcasters.
The suggestion is backed by Suryakumar’s impressive record in that position. The Indian captain has scored 864 runs in 32 T20I innings at No.3, averaging 32 with a remarkable strike rate of 158.53, including one century and six half-centuries.
Pathan also strongly advocated for the return of Axar Patel to strengthen India’s balance with both bat and ball.
“Axar Patel should get in. He is a guy who can actually bowl against left-hand batters as well. So let me make it very clear that he’s very good. He’s very experienced. We can use him as a floater in batting as well. So that’s the first thing first,” Irfan Pathan explained.
At the same time, Pathan cautioned against making too many changes ahead of such a crucial match.
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“The Indian team might be thinking if they can get Kuldeep Yadav in… They might also think about Sanju Samson. But I don’t want the Indian team to tinker too much,” he added.
According to Pathan, India should ideally make just one change—bringing Axar back—while maintaining stability in the rest of the lineup. With India set to face Zimbabwe on February 26 in Chennai, the defending champions know that another slip-up could effectively end their title defence.
