India, March 2 -- Eight days ago in Ahmedabad, when Suryakumar Yadav was asked about the visible correlation between Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma's struggles during the group stage, and whether Sanju Samson could be considered as a solution, the India captain laughed it off at the press conference.

Abhishek, India's designated aggressor at the top, had failed to get off the mark in his first three innings. Tilak, batting at No. 3, had managed 106 runs in four outings at a strike rate of 120. The concerns were real, even if India were unbeaten.

"You mean, I should make him (Samson) play for Tilak? Or Abhishek?" Surya had quipped.

At that moment, neither Surya nor the management were entirely wrong. He acknowledged the concerns but wa...