3 focus areas for Team India in T20I series against South Africa
Following the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, the focus now returns to international cricket as Team India face South Africa in a T20I series. The five-match series will be held in India from June 9 to 19. With Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami rested, some of the fringe players are likely to get a chance to showcase their skills.
Team India had an impressive run in T20I cricket ahead of the IPL. They hammered the West Indies 3-0 in a three-match series and followed it up by defeating Sri Lanka by an identical margin. South Africa, though, are expected to present a much tougher challenge for the Men in Blue. The absence of some big names in the Indian camp could give them an opportunity to pull off an upset.
3 aspects Team India will keep an eye on
With the T20 World Cup 2022 as well as the future of Indian cricket in the T20 format in mind, we look at three focus areas for the Men in Blue in the series against the Proteas.
#1 Rishabh Pant’s batting form
Team India’s keeper-batter Rishabh Pant had a horrible IPL 2022 campaign with the willow while leading the Delhi Capitals (DC). In 14 matches, he scored 340 runs at an average of 30.91. Although the southpaw had an impressive strike rate of 151.79, he failed to come up with any big knocks. His highest score in the tournament was a disappointing 44.
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On a number of occasions, Pant got starts but then threw this wicket away, playing some atrocious strokes. It is often said that this is just the way the maverick young batter plays. However, of late, he has been experiencing more failure than success. Also, in the wake of Dinesh Karthik’s return to the Team India picture, Pant cannot afford to keep slipping as his place in the T20 World Cup squad could come under the scanner.
#2 KL Rahul's captaincy
KL Rahul did a decent job as leader to guide the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to the playoffs in the franchise’s maiden IPL appearance. However, he did look clueless at times when the team was under pressure. Even with the bat, while he once again scored over 600 runs, it is a fact that his slow batting hurt the team in the Eliminator.
With Rohit turning 35 earlier this year and Pant still raw when it comes to captaincy, Rahul is being considered as one of the potential candidates to take over the leadership role in the near future. However, his captaincy has failed to inspire confidence. Even during the tour of South Africa earlier this year, he looked completely lost as leader as Team India succumbed to a 0-3 hammering at the hands of the Proteas in ODIs. Even his batting was below par.
To be fair to Rahul, he hasn’t got a long enough run to prove his worth as captain in international cricket. The five-match T20I series against South Africa thus presents a great opportunity for the 30-year-old to make his mark as a leader.
#3 Hardik Pandya's fitness as a bowler
Hardik Pandya has earned a much-deserved recall to the Indian team on the basis of his fantastic performances in IPL 2022. Not only did he inspire the Gujarat Titans (GT) to victory in their maiden season in the T20 league, but was also highly impressive with the bat. He was the leading run-getter for his franchise, smashing 487 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 131.26.
He also chipped in with the ball, claiming eight wickets, his best of three for 17 coming in the final. His bowling effort in the summit clash against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) was top-notch and is exactly what Indian selectors have been expecting of him with the ball in hand. But while his return to bowling is definitely a positive, the fact is that he did not bowl in a few matches and sent down only a couple of overs in a few games.
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With the T20 World Cup 2022 in mind, Team India will need a fit Hardik when it comes to his bowling. His nippy pace and ability to generate some bounce off the surface can come in handy in Australian conditions. However, for that to happen, the 28-year-old will have to be in proper shape. We saw some glimpses of Hardik returning to form with the ball in IPL 2022. He will need to continue building on it in the T20I series against South Africa.