'If Sanju is not in top three and if the keeper is batting in the middle order you rather play a specialist, a lower order batter than a top order batter'
If starting with Jitesh Sharma in the last three T20s in Australia felt like an experiment, his selection over fellow wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson in the series opener against South Africa provided ample clarity over team management's thought process going in to the World Cup at home.
The think tank can't be blamed for preferring a specialist lower-order finisher ahead of Samson, who was displaced at the top of the order for no fault of his own after Shubman Gill's return to the shortest format. He has struggled to make the eleven since then.
Jitesh, who calls his finisher's role in the team as bread and butter, is expected to start the T20 World Cup for India unless he fares poorly in preceding series against South Africa and New Zealand.
At this stage, it is also difficult to look beyond Samson and Jitesh for the wicket-keeping options in the squad. And do the selectors need to think out of the box in this context?
"It is the right call. If Sanju is not in top three and if the keeper is batting in the middle order you rather play a specialist, a lower order batter than a top order batter. It is not easy batting for two balls or four balls.
"Jitesh is a specialist in that regard," former India wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta told PTI.
"Nine games to go (before World Cup), I don't see too many changes ahead of the T20 World Cup," he reckoned.