Experiments in the starting line-up of the Indian team are ongoing. The return of Sandhu Samson for the upcoming series against Afghanistan has reignited discussions about potential opening combinations. The question arises whether the coaching staff can test a previously unseen pairing—Sandhu Samson and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
Following the T20 World Cup victory, the Indian team utilized various combinations to start matches. Vaibhav Suryavanshi earned a spot in the main squad after an impressive performance in the IPL and played alongside Abhishek Sharma. Furthermore, Sandhu Samson had already started innings with Abhishek. Thus, the pairs Abhishek-Vaibhav and Abhishek-Sandhu have already been tested.
With Sandhu's return to the team, a third option has emerged—Sandhu-Vaibhav. Notably, these two have never started a game together for India before. Consequently, this experiment could be an interesting choice for the Indian team in the series against Afghanistan.
Former Indian wicketkeeper Dip Dasgupta also pointed to this possibility. He believes that since the Abhishek-Vaibhav and Abhishek-Sandhu options have already been considered, there is nothing wrong with trying Sandhu and Vaibhav together.
Dasgupta stated on his YouTube channel: 'We haven't seen the Sandhu-Vaibhav combination yet. So far, we have seen Abhishek-Vaibhav and Abhishek-Sandhu. It is not a bad idea to see what combination Sandhu and Vaibhav can form.'
This combination will be particularly interesting because both batsmen possess an aggressive playing style, yet there is a significant difference in experience between them. On one hand, Sandhu Samson has established himself in international cricket, while on the other, Vaibhav Suryavanshi made the Indian team at the young age of 15.
The combination of Sandhu's experience and Vaibhav's fearless style could give India a highly aggressive pair to start matches in the powerplay. However, the coaching staff will face the question of what role to assign to such an explosive batsman as Abhishek Sharma in the squad.
For this reason, the series against Afghanistan will be a subject of discussion not only because of Sandhu's return but also regarding whom India will choose to partner with Vaibhav—Abhishek, Sandhu, or a completely new combination.
Currently, it is only clear that after the Abhishek-Vaibhav and Abhishek-Sandhu pairs, the Sandhu-Vaibhav pair represents an option that the Indian team has not yet tested. This new experiment might be seen in the matches against Afghanistan.