With the IPL now over, international cricket has resumed for India with a five-match T20I series against South Africa in New Delhi. With five shortest format games, the series serves as a springboard in the build-up to the all-important ICC T20 World Cup 2022, where Rohit Sharma and his men would like to reaffirm their authority as one of the best, if Not the best, T20 playing countries in the world. Especially after what happened in UAE seven months ago. We take a look at the six boxes before the first ball is bowled.
Read also: Venkatesh Iyer will be eyeing Hardik Pandya’s possible successor last year
new opener on the block
Let’s be very clear. India’s opening pair is not scoring runs. In the last six home matches, India crossed the fifty-run mark only once. And to make matters worse, he will miss the services of Rohit Sharma. This means we will have a new opening pair in the form of Ishaan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad. The last time both of them opened, they gave India a poor start in the third T20I against West Indies. Also, the youngsters will be desperate to score some runs. While Kishan would like to make a comeback, Gaikwad knows that Rohit’s return will mean a curtain up for him.
unstable lower middle order
With KL Rahul on three, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant will be India’s four and five respectively. This means we have an undefeated lower middle order in the form of Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer and Dinesh Karthik. The last time Pandya played for India was more than six months ago; Venkatesh Iyer is short in form (read IPL 2022); DK last played T20 for India on February 27, 2019. Nothing, just doesn’t look good on paper.
bad for bowling
Take one look at the squad and one thing strikes you terribly: the captain is spoiled for choice when it comes to death bowling. Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar. Now, the question is who will be in the playing XI given that India usually play a three-pronged pace attack. Here KL Rahul will have to make some tough choices. Umran Malik is off to a definite start with Harshal Patel being the second seamer. If Arshdeep Singh comes purely on his IPL form, Bhuvi may have to sit out. As said above, tough choice.
Tough competition for Yuji Chahal in the playing XI
Riding on some great IPL form, Yuzvendra Chahal will have some competition in the playing XI. Although he runs in the side, he will have to face a challenge from the likes of his ‘younger brother’ Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi throughout the series. Oh, there’s Axar Patel too. Nonetheless, if he continues to perform as he does in the IPL, not only will he establish himself as the best possible option for the T20 World Cup 2022, he may retain his place even if Ravindra Jadeja returns .
Will Hardik Pandya bat in this order?
Hardik Pandya usually bats below number five for India, but with his stellar IPL form where he scored 487 runs (batting at 4), promotion up the batting order could be a bold move that most fans gun for. are driving. However, it could be a short-sighted one in the mix with Kohli, Rohit.
Venkatesh Iyer Question
One of the quests for IPL 2021 could be Iyer left in limbo this time around. He did really well in the cash-rich league against New Zealand last year to get an entry ticket into the Indian team. However, he turned out to be a mismatch in the ODIs, where his inability to finish the game resulted in his exclusion for the home series against the Windies. Nonetheless, he can still walk as the fourth fast bowler. This young man from Indore can also work as a finisher. But the inclusion of Hardik Pandya does not bode well for him. There is also one Deepak Chahar who is more or less a bowling all-rounder. So will he be chosen purely as an opener? There are many questions about his future.
Get all the latest updates cricket news, cricket pictures, cricket videos, IPL 2022 Live Updates And cricket score Here