3 changes India can make for 3rd SA vs IND 2024 T20I ft. Ramandeep Singh for Axar Patel
The third T20I in Centurion between India and South Africa calls for changes after the visitors' three-wicket defeat in Gqeberha to make it 1-1. The batting failed to be skittled out for just 124 runs and the bowling attack relied heavily on Varun Chakaravarthy's five-wicket haul and still couldn't take the game to the last over.
But how many changes? That'll depend on how India look at the series' importance in the context of their T20I journey. If they think short-term, they might want to make fewer tactical changes to try and win the bilateral trophy at all costs. But if they deepen their sight, they would want to test the bench and hand opportunities in a high-pressure but mostly inconsequential game.
Below we have listed three changes for India to consider for the match. They might make one, none, or all of these and we explain the logic behind each:
#3 Ramandeep Singh for Axar Patel
This could be the most obvious and the most unlikely change at the same time. Axar Patel is one of the senior-most members of the team, who came clutch against South Africa in the 2024 T20 World Cup final, which should make him undroppable.
However, after getting run out for 27 in the first innings, he wasn't trusted enough with the ball in the second. Suryakumar Yadav gave him one over and he conceded just two runs, but despite the game running away and demanding more overs of spin, Axar didn't get a go again.
The wicket in Centurion in the third T20I would likely support pacers more than spinners so Axar might not get a look at all. It could be a chance to rest him and give 27-year-old Ramandeep Singh an opportunity.
Apart from being a gun finisher who struck some big cameos for Kolkata Knight Riders with an overall strike rate of over 200, Ramandeep can also bowl decent medium pace. He took three wickets in four matches for India 'A' in the men's Emerging Asia Cup before this series.
India looked a tad short on hard-hitting abilities down the order which Ramandeep can fix. Getting him some overs in Centurion won't be a bad start to see if he can be India's long-term Hardik Pandya back-up.
#2 Vijayakumar Vyshak for Ravi Bishnoi/Arshdeep Singh
Another man who earned his first India call-up for this series and would be hoping to make his debut is Karnataka and last year's Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer, Vijaykumar Vyshak.
The right-arm quick is a seasoned T20 bowler with all the tricks in his bag. For RCB, he has picked up 13 wickets in 11 matches in two seasons, using his slower ones, surprising bouncers and yorkers in the right moments.
If the pitch calls for an extra pace option, he can come into the team in place of leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. But even if it's similar to Sunday, India shouldn't shy away from resting Arshdeep Singh for Vyshak.
Arshdeep's place in India's T20 XI is fixed for the foreseeable future and such chances for testing a more T20-specialist pacer won't come often. Vyshak has often bowled the difficult overs for Karnataka, as Arshdeep has been doing for India, so it won't require a drastic change in the combination.
#1 Yash Dayal for Avesh Khan/Arshdeep Singh
Avesh Khan has had contrasting T20Is in this series so far. In the first, he took two important wickets for 28 runs in his nearly three overs but in the second, he went wicketless and conceded damaging boundaries at the death when India needed to close the game off.
If the team management can assure Avesh that he'd be backed after this series (because he deserves to be) then he should make way for left-arm quick Yash Dayal. Dayal was mightily impressive in the last IPL, swinging the ball in the powerplay and taking important wickets at the death, and continued that form in the ensuing domestic games.
The 26-year-old will enjoy bowling in Centurion and it's about time he gets his debut after being around a couple of Indian squads without any game time. If India wants to persist with Avesh, which you can't fault them for, Dayal can come in for Arshdeep, but he should be slightly ahead of Vyshak in the pecking order because of the conditions.