Time for a shake-up? The selection calls facing Gambhir after India’s Auckland defeat | Cricket News

Gautam Gambhir has so far backed the players he believes can deliver for India in T20Is. But the 87-run defeat in the fourth T20I at Auckland could force the head coach into tactical changes for the fifth and final match against New Zealand at Hamilton on Sunday.India have already taken an unassailable 3-1 lead, but the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cup champions will not want to end the series with back-to-back defeats after winning the first three matches.One player under pressure is Sanju Samson. The opener, one of India’s heroes from the 2026 T20 World Cup triumph, continues to enjoy strong backing from the team management, but his returns in this series have been mixed: 67, 14, 18 and 4.There is also a growing clamour for return of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who made 4 and 45 off 19 balls in his two appearances in the series. His entertaining 133-run opening stand with Abhishek Sharma helped India chase 199 in the third T20I with six wickets in hand. A short break may help Samson reset and return stronger, as he has done several times in his career. Another major concern is the form of captain Shreyas Iyer. India have beaten West Indies and New Zealand in recent T20I series under him, but his own returns have been modest. After scoring his maiden T20I hundred against West Indies, Iyer has made 40, 1, 16, 22, 42, 7, 5 and 22 in his next eight innings.Before the criticism grows louder, Iyer needs a substantial score to justify his elevation to India’s T20I captaincy after three years away from the format at international level. India’s allrounders Naman Dhir and Nitish Kumar Reddy have contributed with late-order hitting, but their bowling remains a concern. Nitish was taken for 32 runs in one over by a rampaging Glenn Phillips in the fourth T20I.India’s biggest bowling worry, however, is Axar Patel’s decline as a run-controlling wicket-taking option. In four matches this series, Axar has taken three wickets at an average of 52.66 and an economy rate of 10.53. Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s much-celebrated return has also been underwhelming. The veteran seamer has taken just one wicket in three matches while conceding 139 runs at an economy rate of 11.58.India have relied heavily on Arshdeep Singh, who became the quickest to 150 T20I wickets in his 103rd match. He is the only Indian bowler with an economy rate under 10 in this series, going at 9.31.India need to find a way to bring in either Kuldeep Yadav or Varun Chakravarthy, both of whom are yet to play in the series. Kuldeep’s left-arm wrist-spin or Varun’s mystery spin could strengthen the attack, but India may be reluctant to leave out Dhir given his finishing ability.New Zealand’s biggest threat remains Glenn Phillips, who has dominated the series. In four matches, he has scored 276 runs at an average of 92.00 and a strike rate of 189.04, with two fifties and a hundred. His 107 off 49 balls in the fourth T20I powered New Zealand to 259 for four, and he will be eager to finish the T20I series with another major contribution. It may be a dead rubber, but New Zealand will be determined to win the final round before both teams move into the five-match ODI series, beginning Nov 4 at Auckland.Live, Sony, 12.30pm