India team celebrating [Source: BCCI]India completed a clinical 3-0 whitewash over Zimbabwe in the recently concluded T20I series, comfortably outclassing the hosts in every department. The series served its immediate purpose, with the Men in Blue returning to winning ways after disappointing outings in Ireland and England. However, beyond the convincing scoreline lies another conversation. Bilateral series against comparatively weaker opposition often provide the perfect platform to test bench strength, prepare backup options and build squad depth for the future.While India did make one or two changes across the three matches, the team management largely persisted with the same core group instead of making bold experiments.With the 2028 T20 World Cup cycle already underway, India perhaps missed an excellent opportunity to explore a few young talents and experiment with different roles. 1. Suryansh Shedge deserved all three matchesOne of the biggest missed opportunities for India was the limited utilisation of Suryansh Shedge. The Mumbai allrounder was handed just a single opportunity in the third T20I despite entering the tour as one of India's brightest emerging prospects.Although Shedge endured an ordinary Ireland and England tour, his overall portfolio over the last year fully justified a longer run in the Zimbabwe series. Representing India A against Sri Lanka A, the right-handed batter accumulated 147 runs in five innings at an average of 36.75 while also picking up two wickets, showcasing his value as a genuine pace-bowling allrounder.His domestic performances have been equally encouraging. Shedge scalped five wickets during the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy while representing Mumbai. He also impressed in IPL 2026, scoring 158 runs in seven innings with several impactful cameos lower down the order.Why did Shedge deserve all three matches?Considering Zimbabwe weren't expected to challenge India significantly, the three-match series offered an ideal platform to assess Shedge's capabilities over multiple games instead of judging him on a solitary outing.More importantly, India are currently searching for reliable seam-bowling allrounders who can support Hardik Pandya in the long run. Nitish Kumar Reddy continues to battle injuries, while Shivam Dube is yet to cement his place as a dependable all-format option.Shedge fits that profile perfectly. Giving him three consecutive opportunities could have helped the team management better understand his batting temperament, bowling variations and adaptability under international pressure.2. India barely experimented with the batting orderAnother area where India could have been significantly bolder was the batting order. Throughout the series, the batting lineup remained largely unchanged. Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi opened the innings, followed by Ishan Kishan at number three and Shreyas Iyer at number four. While maintaining stability isn't necessarily a bad approach, a bilateral series against Zimbabwe was perhaps the perfect opportunity to test multiple batting combinations.What experiments could have been done?Abhishek Sharma endured a disappointing series with the bat despite retaining his opening position throughout all three matches. India could have easily promoted Tilak Varma to the top of the order or even tried Ishan Kishan alongside Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to understand how different combinations perform.Likewise, Shivam Dube also presented another opportunity for experimentation. The left-handed allrounder has struggled to rediscover his batting rhythm in recent months. Promoting him higher up the order could have allowed him to spend more time at the crease and rebuild confidence before bigger assignments.India have often spoken about creating flexible batting options ahead of ICC tournaments. The ability to shuffle the batting order depending on match situations has become a major strength for successful T20 teams around the world.Yet, despite having almost complete control over the Zimbabwe series, India rarely deviated from their established batting positions.Also Read- Is Nahid Rana On Track To Enter Greatest Fast Bowlers' League In Test History?3. India could have promoted Rinku Singh to test his anchoring abilityAnother experiment that India surprisingly didn't attempt was promoting Rinku Singh up the batting order.Rinku returned to the Indian T20I setup after missing the Ireland and England tours, but the series didn't go exactly according to plan for the left-hander. He managed only 37 runs from two innings at an average of 18.50. However, his strike rate of 168.18 showed that he still maintained his attacking approach despite spending very little time in the middle.Throughout his T20I career, Rinku Singh has almost exclusively batted at No. 5, No. 6 or even lower, primarily playing the role of a designated finisher. While he has excelled in that role on numerous occasions, the Zimbabwe series presented India with an excellent opportunity to explore another dimension of his batting.Why Rinku Singh should have been tested?The left-hander has repeatedly shown in the IPL that he is much more than just a finisher. Whenever Kolkata Knight Riders have found themselves under pressure, Rinku has displayed remarkable maturity by rebuilding innings before accelerating towards the end. His temperament, game awareness and ability to rotate strike make him capable of batting higher up the order as well.India could have promoted him to No. 3 or No. 4 in one of the matches to evaluate whether he could also perform as an anchor in addition to being a finisher.Such an experiment could have significantly strengthened India's squad depth heading into the 2028 T20 World Cup cycle.Injuries are inevitable in international cricket. If one of India's established top or middle-order batters becomes unavailable in the future, having someone like Rinku capable of seamlessly moving up the order would provide tremendous flexibility to the team management.4. Harsh Dubey deserved his long-awaited T20I debutAnother youngster who was unfortunate to miss out completely was Harsh Dubey. The left-arm spinner has steadily established himself as one of India's most exciting spin prospects over the past couple of seasons. Yet despite travelling with the squad, Dubey didn't receive a single opportunity to make his T20I debut.Considering India had already sealed complete control over the series, handing him a debut could have been a logical decision.Dubey's performances certainly warranted serious consideration. He has already represented India in ODIs, claiming four wickets from two matches at an economy rate of 7.08. In the 2025 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he picked up 10 wickets in 10 matches, while IPL 2026 saw him claim eight wickets from eight innings.More recently, representing India A against Sri Lanka A, the left-arm orthodox spinner impressed once again by picking up three wickets in the unofficial Test while maintaining an economy rate of just 3.52.Why Dubey’s debut should have taken place?India have constantly searched for quality left-arm spin options in white-ball cricket over the last few years. Ravindra Jadeja is approaching the twilight of his career, while several youngsters are still trying to cement their places.Dubey possesses the skillset to become a long-term option in that role. His accuracy, ability to control the middle overs and consistent domestic performances made Zimbabwe an ideal series to assess his potential at the international level.Instead, India preferred sticking with their experienced bowling combination throughout the series, leaving another highly-rated youngster waiting for his first opportunity in the shortest format.Zimbabwe T20I series could have been played a bit bolderTo India's credit, one experiment that worked brilliantly was giving Abhishek Sharma additional responsibility with the ball. The all-rounder responded with record-breaking bowling performances and showcased another dimension to his game, giving India an additional bowling option for the future.Nevertheless, the Zimbabwe tour still felt like a series where India could have been considerably bolder.The Men in Blue comfortably outclassed Zimbabwe in every department and deservedly completed a 3-0 whitewash. However, bilateral series against relatively weaker opponents are often less about the result and more about preparing for the future.None of these missed experiments affected the series outcome. But they certainly could have made India a more complete and better-prepared side as they gradually build towards the 2028 T20 World Cup.Also Read- Youngest Player To Win Man Of The Match For India
