South Africa tour of India 2022: SWOT analysis of India's squad for T20I series
Team India will take on South Africa in a five-match T20I series starting on 10th June 2022. The schedule for the T20I series is as under:
First T20I- 10th June 2022 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi;
Second T20I- 12th June 2022 at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack;
Third T20I- 14th June 2022 at VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam;
Fourth T20I- 17th June 2022 at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot;
Fifth T20I- 19th June 2022 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Despite resting the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and the absence of Ravindra Jadeja due to an injury, the selectors have named a strong 18-member squad to challenge the Proteas.
The squad is as under:
KL Rahul (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (VC/WK), Dinesh Karthik (WK), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.
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While some players have established themselves in the T20I squad, a few youngsters have been included in the team on the back of impressive performances in the IPL.
On that note, here is the SWOT analysis of the Men in Blue.
# Strengths- Experienced spin bowling department and presence of experienced finishers in the squad
Experienced spin attack:
The KL Rahul-led squad has three experienced spinners who have tasted success in T20I cricket. Yuzvendra Chahal, the Purple Cap winner in IPL 2022 is likely to be the lead spinner for India in the T20I series against South Africa. Chahal has been the most successful bowler to play T20Is for his country, picking up 68 wickets at an average of 25.33.
Kuldeep Yadav has had a successful IPL 2022 and has made a comeback to the Indian T20I squad. The partnership between Chahal and Yadav has been successful in the past and the duo have been vital for the national team in the middle overs of a T20I game. Yadav has an exceptional average of 14.75 in 24 T20Is and has picked up 41 wickets. Yadav could be the X-factor for India in the series.
Axar Patel has tasted success for the national team in the limited opportunities he has gotten in T20Is. If given an opportunity, he can control the flow of runs in the middle order. He has 13 T20I wickets to his name at an average of 27.30. He is a handy batsman lower down the order and can provide finishing touches to the innings.
Presence of experienced finishers:
The Men in Blue have three finishers who have the capability of accelerating in death overs. Hardik Pandya has made a comeback to the Indian T20I squad after having a brilliant IPL 2022. Pandya was exceptional with the bat in IPL 2022 and scored 487 runs from 15 innings at an average of 44.27. Pandya will look to replicate his performances at the international level and establish a permanent place in the Indian T20I squad.
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Dinesh Karthik averaged 55 with the bat, had a strike rate of 183.33 in IPL 2022, and made his way back into the Indian team. Karthik will look to play attacking cricket from the onset and provide the perfect finishing touches in the death overs.
Rishabh Pant is another player who can accelerate in death overs. He is yet to make a name for himself in T20Is where he has a strike rate of 126.01 from 37 innings. He has been named the vice-captain for the series against South Africa and will look to impress everyone with his batting performances in the T20Is.
# Weakness - Inexperienced fast bowling department
Five pace bowlers, namely Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patek, Avesh Khan, Umran Malik, and Arshdeep Singh have been named to the T20I squad. Apart from Kumar, the remaining four bowlers are yet to find their feet in international cricket and have been named in the squad based on an impressive IPL 2022.
Malik and Singh are yet to make their debut in international cricket. Harshal Patel has played only eight T20Is to date and has picked up 11 wickets at an economy rate of 8.52.
Avesh Khan has played only two T20Is to date and has picked up two wickets in the said games.
Though the bowlers mentioned hereinabove have been exceptional in IPL 2022, they are yet to create an impression on the international stage.
# Opportunities- Young Indian batsmen can establish themselves in the team
The upcoming T20I series will provide the perfect opportunity for young Indian batsmen to make a name for themselves on the international stage.
Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad did not exactly set the stage on fire in IPL 2022. The duo will look to score runs at the top of the order and make it to the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
Shreyas Iyer has had an exceptional 2022 with the bat in T20Is and has scored 229 runs from four innings, only being dismissed once. He will prove to be a vital player in the middle-order and will look to guide the young Indian batsmen.
Deepak Hooda has an impressive IPL 2022 and has scored 451 runs at an average of 32.21. If given an opportunity, he will look to grab it with both hands and look to impress on the big stage.
# Threat: A strong South African team
South Africa have named a strong squad to take on India in the T20I series. Many of the players have played in IPL 2022 and have acclimatized to the Indian conditions.
The Proteas have a strong bowling line-up comprising of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, and Tabraiz Shamsi. The said bowlers have tasted success against India in the past and could challenge the young batsmen at the top of the order.
The likes of Aiden Markram and David Miller have tasted success in IPL 2022 and will look to carry on their impressive form.
Though the Men in Blue will start as favorites, South Africa cannot be taken lightly and could challenge India in the series.