3 major concerns for Team India despite their 3-1 series win over South Africa ft. fast-bowling resources
India had a wonderful day in the office at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Friday, November 15. The Men in Blue blew South Africa away by 135 runs to secure a comprehensive 3-1 series win.
A slew of records were broken by India, who amassed the highest T20I total on South African soil and became the first Full Member nation with two centurions in the same T20I innings. The visitors also racked up their second-highest total in the format.
While Suryakumar Yadav and his men will be delighted with the manner in which they went about their business in the Rainbow Nation, there are a couple of issues that need addressing. As they build towards the next edition of the T20 World Cup, they will need to finetune certain aspects of their selection and on-field approach.
On that note, here are three major concerns for India despite their 3-1 series win over South Africa.
#3 Key batters didn't get to spend enough time in the middle
Over the course of the four T20Is, three of which were played in batting-friendly conditions, some of India's key batters didn't get to spend enough time at the crease.
Suryakumar Yadav, whose form in 2024 has been slightly underwhelming, faced only 30 balls in the entire series. He didn't get to bat in the fourth T20I, with India losing only one wicket, and gave up his No. 3 slot to Tilak Varma, who made the most of it.
India would've liked for Suryakumar to finish the series with a meaningful score, but he managed only 26 total runs. Moreover, others like Axar Patel (29 balls) and Rinku Singh (34 balls) didn't have much to do either.
#2 India's pace department questions didn't get any clear answers
Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh are clearly India's two best T20 fast bowlers right now, but who else is in the mix? Despite touring South Africa for four games, the Men in Blue are no closer to finding any answers to that question.
Vyshak Vijaykumar and Yash Dayal warmed the bench throughout the series, while Avesh Khan was dropped from the side after two matches to allow the inclusion of Ramandeep Singh. While Ramandeep bowled 20 balls in the fourth T20I, even he wasn't tried out on his international debut.
India's pace reserves are quite thin across formats, and they don't have nearly as much clarity as they'd like.
#1 Rinku Singh's form is a concern for the Men in Blue
As mentioned earlier, Rinku Singh didn't get much of a chance to showcase his finishing prowess in South Africa. However, when he did make it to the crease, he seemed to be slightly out of his depth.
Rinku is a talented player, but he has clear issues against spin and hard lengths. South Africa exploited that well, with the pacers banging the ball in short and the spinners keeping things simple against him. The fact that it seems to be a technical issue and not a form issue won't please India, particularly with specialist batting slots being hard to come by in the XI.