Photo by Rajasthan Royals (CC BY 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Who opens in Hyderabad? India's predicted XIs split on Abhishek, Samson and Sooryavanshi

Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson opened the batting together for India in each of the first three T20Is against West Indies, with both players registering record-breaking innings across the series. Ahead of the fourth match in Hyderabad, bowling selection discussions center on choosing between pacer Prince Yadav and spinner Kuldeep Yadav depending on pitch conditions.

Record-Breaking Starts for the Openers

The opening partnership began at Lucknow on 6 October 2026, where Abhishek scored 21 off 10 balls and Samson contributed 11 off 9 balls. In the second T20I at Ranchi on 9 October 2026, Samson struck 82 off 41 balls, reaching his half-century in 21 deliveries.

This equalled Virat Kohli's record for the fastest T20I fifty by an Indian batter against West Indies, while Abhishek scored 20 off 12 balls. The third T20I at Indore on 11 October 2026 saw Samson dismissed for 3 runs, but Abhishek scored 69 off 30 balls.

During that innings, Abhishek reached 2,000 career T20I runs in 1,024 deliveries, the fastest by balls faced, overtaking Suryakumar Yadav's previous mark of 1,164 deliveries. Head coach Gautam Gambhir noted after the second T20I that India would continue to adapt their batting order based on situations and that "only the openers are permanent".

Squad Debates and Selection Discussions

Fifteen-year-old batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is in India's squad for the series but did not feature in the opening three fixtures. Ahead of the fourth T20I, Sooryavanshi posted photos from a batting practice session on Instagram with the caption "Stay seated" alongside a tornado and an hourglass emoji.

Outside the camp, former team personnel hold differing views on potential changes. Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar stated on Star Sports that he wants India to seal the series 3-1 first so that Sooryavanshi can play in the fifth T20I in Bengaluru.

Conversely, former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara stated on JioStar that he would not want to see changes to the top order. Pujara backed Samson and Abhishek to open, followed by Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma, while also advocating for retaining all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy at No.

6 following his performance in Indore.

Who opens in Hyderabad? The predicted XIs disagree

India's team for the fourth T20I is only confirmed at the toss, due at 6:30 PM IST, and the published predictions split on the opening pair.

Crex expects Abhishek Sharma to keep opening, and reports that the management will likely bring Vaibhav Sooryavanshi back in as his opening partner. LatestLY's likely XI keeps Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson in the top order, continuing the aggressive approach.

Sportsdigest's probable XI has Abhishek opening, Samson keeping wicket and Ishan Kishan at No. 3.

Yahoo Sports predicts Sooryavanshi and Samson as the openers, followed by Ishan Kishan, and notes that Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh could be rested.

These are the outlets' predictions, not team announcements: several differ on who partners Abhishek, and whether he plays at all.

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