Former India batter Subramaniam Badrinath has urged the Indian team management to consider including Varun Chakaravarthy in the playing XI for the third T20I against New Zealand. He believes India could strengthen their bowling attack by replacing young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who struggled to make an impact in the previous match.

Sooryavanshi earned a place in India’s playing XI for the second T20I after Ishan Kishan was ruled out with an injury. However, the youngster failed to settle at No. 3, managing just four runs off eight deliveries. India eventually chased down the target of 181 in the final over, thanks to valuable contributions from Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Subramanium Badrinath believes the lower-order batters have shown enough ability to contribute with the bat, allowing India to consider an additional specialist bowler. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he suggested that Chakaravarthy’s inclusion could help India control the opposition’s scoring rate.

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“Instead of playing Suryavanshi at No.3, India can play Varun Chakaravarthy in the 11. The players down the order are doing well now. So, why not go for a bowler like Varun? New Zealand’s scores of 220 and 180 could have been 200 and 160 in the first two games,” Subramanium Badrinath said.

Chakaravarthy has been unavailable since suffering an abdominal side strain during the T20I series against Afghanistan last month. In his absence, India have relied on all-rounders Axar Patel and Dhir as their primary spin options.

Badrinath also disagreed with the suggestion that Sanju Samson should move away from his opening position to accommodate Sooryavanshi. Although Samson has an impressive record at No. 3 in the IPL, scoring 3,096 runs at an average of 38.22 and a strike rate of 143.33, Subramanium Badrinath believes India should avoid disrupting the opening combination.

Dropping Sooryavanshi after just one appearance, however, could conflict with the team management’s approach of giving young players opportunities. With Kishan still injured, another chance could help the teenager gain valuable international experience.

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If India decide to make a change, wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra could also enter the discussion. While relatively inexperienced in T20 cricket, his domestic performances in List A and first-class cricket, along with his middle-order experience, could make him an alternative at No. 3.