The Indian team will face West Indies in the fifth and final T20I for the series win at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, October 17, 2026. West Indies levelled the series with a nice 24-run win in the 4th game that was played in Hyderabad.
Now the Indian team management will need to decide on a few spots after the bowling, and then the batting failed as well against a more aggressive Windies batting lineup. India needs to win this fifth and final ODI to keep their win record at home intact. Today, we take a look at three changes that India should make to their playing XI for the 5th T20I.
Here are the 3 changes India should make to their playing XI for the 5th IND vs. WI T20I:
3. Shivam Dube for Nitish Kumar Reddy
Nitish Kumar Reddy came in well with the bat, but the ask was too much. He smashed 41 in 20 balls with 4 sixes and one four. However, he was very expensive with the ball, giving 39 runs in these 3 overs. Shivam Dube will be a better option, as they are similar in their bowling ways but a better hitter against spinners when needed.
2. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek Sharma was terrible in the fourth T20I, scoring 29 in 24 balls and looked scratchy overall. He has only one fifty in the series, while he has not crossed 30 runs once in other games. With Sanju Samson doing the heavy work, it won’t be a bad idea to blood Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to give him a sniff before the New Zealand T20Is. Sooryavanshi has been benched since Zimbabwe T20Is and, apart from the Asian Games, keeps waiting for his turn in the middle.
1. Kuldeep Yadav for Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh was hit on the shoulder by Shamar Joseph, and it is unlikely that he will play in the fifth and final T20I. Arshdeep Singh went for 52 runs, picking up one wicket in the Hyderabad T20I. He has 5 wickets in the series, but at an economy of 10.93. Kuldeep Yadav was benched after going for 53 runs in the Ranchi T20I. But the other spinners, Axar Patel and Naman Dhir, couldn’t do much in Hyderabad, and it’s the best time to bring in Kuldeep Yadav.
