Highlight
- South Africa will be looking to level the series.
- The Men in Blue will chase history in Guwahati.
- Karthik – Designated Indian finisher has faced 9 balls in the last 7 matches.
India and South Africa will face each other in the second T20 match on Sunday. While South Africa will try to level the series, the Men in Blue, on the other hand, will chase down history in Guwahati.
Bumrah was expected to play a key role in the Indian team’s campaign in Australian conditions, but his “back stress fracture” ruled him out of the ICC’s premier event starting in three weeks.
The ongoing series was originally planned as a final tune-up for Rahul Dravid’s team but Bumrah’s absence from the remaining two T20Is has now raised more questions than answers. Umesh Yadav And Mohammad Siraj has been included in the squad as a replacement for the injury, but he is not yet in the squad for the World Cup.
If not Bumrah then who?
The burning question is whether the remaining two T20 matches will give the team management a chance to replace Bumrah? Veteran Mohammed Shami, who is in the World Cup squad as a stand-by, is not here for the South Africa series. Shami has recovered from COVID-19 and is more likely to make it to Australia due to his Down Under experience.
If that is the case, they may have very little playing time before the World Cup warm-up match against the defending champions on 16 October. For the South Africa series, the team has again fit Deepak Chahar, who is also featured in the World Cup. to support.
Chahar (4-0-24-2) when within power on the greenfield track with left-arm young fast gun Arshdeep Singh (4-0-32-3) reduced the Proteas to 9/5, he was fine- Look fine India took a 1-0 lead.
But swing will be out of the equation in down-under conditions and Chahar is more in the mold of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is in a World Cup XI alongside Arshdeep. Siraj, on the other hand, has struggled of late and inspired very little confidence.
It is a different debate altogether why Bhuvneshwar, who lacks experience – three T20Is – has started leaking runs in Australia and no longer holds an ace, as seen in their Asia Cup elimination last month. went.
The same remains to be seen for World Cup-goers Harshal Patel as well how the think-tank settles the puzzle. In the past, they have overcome major hurdles, such as in 2020-21 when they won series back-to-back with their fifth or sixth-choice bowlers in Australia.
Will letters be able to fill Jadeja’s shoes?
A revelation has been made after Axar Patel Ravindra JadejaKnee surgery finally cemented his place. Struggling to find a spot, Patel, a similar replacement to the ace Indian all-rounder, has ticked all the boxes. He was the top wicket-taker – eight wickets at an average of 7.87 – in India’s 2-1 win over world T20I champions in the previous series.
And against South Africa too, he was at his best – 1/16 with Ravichandran Ashwin bowling in the middle overs, as this is a department that looks orderly. For someone who has a career strike rate of over 136 from 30 T20Is, it is his batting that has inspired confidence in the captain. Rohit Sharma: “I would like to see him bat too.”
Read also: Rahul Dravid provides update on Jasprit Bumrah’s injury and availability for T20 World Cup
But India will look to Australia to provide big confidence with their star-studded batting. Top four, including their star batsman Virat KohliLook in their area. KL Rahul The return between the runs with a slow but steady half-century in the first T20I was also a huge confidence booster.
Lack of playing time for Pant and Karthik
It’s just their middle order in which Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik Looks short on game time.
Pant, who is likely to be the X-factor in Australia, hasn’t had a chance to bat since his return from the Asia Cup, where he had a mixed campaign.
On the other hand, designated Indian finisher Karthik has faced nine balls in the last seven matches as pushing him up would not be a bad move.
Historic victory in sight
From the series point of view, India will be chasing their first win over the Proteas in the format on home soil and a win will seal it. It’s a different thing that matters little in the bigger picture.
It is no secret that they have struggled in world tournaments and the 2007 champions, who last made it to the semi-finals in 2016, will be hoping to avoid a repeat of the 2021 UAE edition when they failed to make a knockout.
arrogance of choice Kagiso Rabada And after dismissing Rohit and Kohli cheaply, South Africa’s bowling was lacking in Enrique Nortje. Bavuma will be hoping that he will put on a better performance and the coin will also turn in his favor to bring the Indian batting to the fore.
Teams (from)
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra ChahaliAxar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Umesh Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Shahbaz Ahmed and Mohammad Siraj.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), quinton de kock (wk), Bjorn Fortuyn, Reeza Hendrix, Heinrich KlassenyMarco Jensen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden MarkramDavid Miller, lungi ngidiEnrique Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Andile PhehlukwayoDwayne Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Riley Rossouw, Tabrez ShamsiTristan Stubbs.