From Colours to Whites: A New Look at the Game in Indian Cricket

Bilateral Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) are often understood as the latter idea, with Tests and ODIs added as an addendum. The hype and arc lights are reserved for glamorous domestic T20 championships like the Indian Premier League (IPL) or the Big Bash. But since this is a year that later features the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in Australia, teams need matches under their belts as part of the build-up. The recently concluded T20I series between India and South Africa fits into this template, even though the climax under Bengaluru skies ensured a 2-2 stalemate. After going 0-2 down after the first two encounters, India did well to win the next two and level the draw before rain bowled just 3.3 overs in the last match in Bengaluru. Inevitably India was not with their first-choice team as skipper Rohit Sharma and former skipper Virat Kohli were rested after their poor performances in the IPL. The pair are in England with a few other players, training for the fifth Test of last year’s series, which was halted after four clashes following a COVID-19 scare. To make it worse for India, interim captain appointed KL Rahul was also ruled out with an injury, and Rishabh Pant had to step into the hot seat against South Africa.

Temba Bavuma’s men opened fire in the opening game. Be it a healthy 211 in Delhi or 148 in Cuttack, the Proteas chased down without a fuss and India, having rested Jasprit Bumrah for the series, failed to stem the flow of runs. Luck changed in Visakhapatnam, with India defending 179 for five as its bowlers found their restrictive zones. Parity was restored in Rajkot with India capturing the competition by 82 runs. Seen as a dress rehearsal for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, the series was an opportunity to test both youngsters and experienced players. Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya did well while Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shreyas Iyer could have done better. 37-year-old Dinesh Karthik blasted at a strike rate of 158.62. Among the bowlers were Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Pant was in the middle of the bat, perhaps the captaincy weighed him down. Coach Rahul Dravid and the selectors have got some clues about the T20 national team. Meanwhile it is time to slip on the whites for the pending fifth Test against England from 1 July in Birmingham. India lead 2-1 but a lot of water has flown down the Thames. The visitors have a new captain and coach in the Rohit-Dravid combination, while in the opposite direction, Ben Stokes has taken over from Joe Root. Change is in the air.