It is very important for all the 18 players named in the upcoming T20I squad against South Africa series, but even more so for those who forced themselves into the squad. T20 World Cup on the back of a strong performance in the recently concluded IPL.
The World Cup is a few months away, but slots in the team are likely to be filled up fast so that players can start playing well with each other before heading to Australia for the mega-tournament. Apart from the 5 matches against South Africa, there are not many matches for the selectors to assess the players. But every chance to play is also a test, so the players and only the best will survive.
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In this context, the IPL, though only a domestic tournament, was a great help for the selectors in tracking form, and a group of players based on their performances in the league made it to the series against South Africa. Now it is up to these players to strengthen their position in the team. The need to meet the expectations of the selectors/coach/captain will obviously bring its own pressure.
There should be no strict scrutiny of players like KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Harshal Patel. His performance over the years gives him a buffer against a temporary drop in form, or loss of fortune as is often the case in the game. However, this may not be true for most of the others in the squad.
There are also some players among them who have failed to make a big impact in the IPL. Like Venkatesh Iyer, who was a huge hit earlier IPL Season with bat and ball and said as a possible successor to Hardik Pandya, who was then battling fitness issues. Ishan Kishan is another. Rishabh Pant is being looked at as a substitute for his place as a wicket-keeper batsman in the team. No longer considered a rival of Pant, after a slow start to the season, Kishan put up a strong performance to retain his place in the team. But will remain under observation.
Contrary to their IPL failures this season, there are some amazing success stories of players who have forced themselves to back India Squad. Especially the legends of Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik. Both were rejected by India (though Pandya was part of the World Cup squad last season) and had he not made an impact in IPL 2022, both would have been turning their fingers elsewhere instead of playing against South Africa.
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Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi have all been part of India’s T20 squad last season. After India’s disastrous performance in the ‘T20 World Cup’ in UAE – they must thank their stars that the selectors still saw enough merit in their IPL performances to retain them.
Along with these experienced players, there are also two promising young fast bowlers, Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh. Of contrasting genres, these two got their first opportunity to represent the country and their progress would be followed with keen interest. Since there are five matches, it is reasonable to assume that all 18 members of the team will be played in the series. However, since this is a bilateral competition, it is not a free ride for anyone. Matches have to be won, so no one’s place is guaranteed.
Pandya’s return to form gives the team a pace bowling all-rounder that India missed during the injury. Karthik seems to have got a second wind and his aggressive finishing gives the team the edge. But both will also have to build on their performances in the IPL to be sure of the World Cup.
South African team is full of talent, some of them have enough experience in Indian conditions from playing in IPL, so it will not be an easy match for India. Every match will be a tough test for all the players in helping India win the series and in the process impressing head coach Rahul Dravid, captain Rohit Sharma and the selectors as they head to India’s T20 World Cup later this year. Eligible to be a part of the campaign.
Also remember that the legendary Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (Even though he was short of runs in the IPL), Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Shami have all been rested for the series against South Africa as well as Surya Yadav (injured), overlooked for the World Cup would be difficult to do. Hence the number of open positions in the squad becomes more limited. This reduces the margin of error not only for those selected for the SA series on the basis of their IPL performance, but for everyone in the team.
With there not being too many T20 Internationals before the World Cup squad is picked, these players will have to show the intensity, strong competitive will and stomach to take on the challenges inside and out to win the side.
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