India will be without two key players during their match against South Africa in the first T20I match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Thursday, June 9. The series will be a smokescreen for the selection committee as they begin auditioning players for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia in October-November.
Skipper Rohit Sharma and veteran batter Virat Kohli have been rested for the series, and in a massive jolt to them, stand-in captain KL Rahul, as well as spin master Kuldeep Yadav, have been ruled out of the series after suffering injuries. In their absence, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan are the players who will be touted to open the batting for India.
Both of these players are coming off the back of underwhelming Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons and this could be a case where both are given a go at the top to see who fares better.
India chasing world record against South Africa
The Men in Blue are on a 12-match winning streak and come Thursday, they can create an all-time record of winning 13 T20I games in a row. But this is not important for head coach Rahul Dravid, whose primary aim will be to narrow down on a core group of players for the World Cup.
Shreyas Iyer, who was terrific at No. 3 against Sri Lanka in February, could hold on to his spot with Suryakumar Yadav injured. But Deepak Hooda's impressive batting for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the same position could give him a chance.
It will be interesting to see how Pant plays while captaining India in Rahul's absence. He, along with Dinesh Karthik, will be in charge of the middle order. Pant was subpar in IPL 2022 and will hope to rediscover his touch, while Karthik dazzled in the role of a finisher in IPL 2022. He will need to replicate his performances to stay in contention for a World Cup spot.
Seasoned pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will spearhead the pace attack alongside death overs specialist Harshal Patel. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, the pacers will need to prove themselves to get picked for the World Cup. Avesh Khan is likely to fill in the third pacer’s spot but if he falters, Arshdeep Singh, who impressed in IPL 2022 with his yorkers, could be handed a debut over fellow rookie Umran Malik.
Spin a concern for India vs South Africa
In the absence of Kuldeep, Axar Patel will be expected to company Yuzvendra Chahal in the spin department. Chahal makes his return to the national team for the first time since 2019 after winning the Purple Cap in IPL 2022. With injured Ravindra Jadeja expected to be a sure-shot selection for the World Cup and Chahal unlikely to miss out, Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel and Kuldeep will have to make a strong case for themselves.
The Indian team could not have hoped for a better opposition than a gritty South African side that has seen their stock rise recently. The Proteas have not lost a white-ball series in India since 2010 and come to the subcontinent with their best possible team.
The visitors will rely on a rejuvenated David Miller with his pyrotechnics holding the key along with the flamboyant Quinton de Kock and Aiden Makram. In the bowling department, the onus will be on spin twins Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj and the pace duo of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje.
The South African T20 side will be playing together for the first time since the World Cup last year and skipper Temba Bavuma said the Proteas will also be looking to identify players for specific roles for the Australia edition.
Teams
India
Rishabh Pant (WK & C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.
South Africa
Temba Bavuma (C), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen.
