Ruturaj Gaikwad and Venkatesh Iyer are the frontrunners to replace Shikhar Dhawan and Hardik Pandya on India’s tour of South Africa.
Shikhar Dhawan’s poor form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy will worry the selectors but young turks Ruturaj Gaikwad and Venkatesh Iyer have booked their tickets for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa in January.
- PTI
- Last Update:December 12, 2021, 3:25 pm IS
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New Delhi: Shikhar Dhawan’s poor form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy will worry the selectors but young turks Ruturaj Gaikwad and Venkatesh Iyer have booked their tickets for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa in January. While the BCCI has announced Rohit Sharma as the next captain of the ODI team, the team for the series is yet to be finalised. It remains to be seen how many rookies the selectors take into account of the bubble-life and workload management for a 50-over contest.
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The two names in the middle of the Vijay Hazare Trophy season are Gaikwad and Iyer, who have scored three and two centuries respectively in the competition so far. Iyer has also picked up some crucial wickets from his side, which makes it clear that he is ready to push Hardik Pandya back as the team’s leading all-rounder.
It is understood that once it became clear that it would be difficult for specialist opener Iyer to fit into the top order in the presence of KL Rahul and Rohit, he would have to improve and probably bat at number five or six. As a designated finisher. Iyer played like a fish by scoring 112 off 84 balls while batting at No.4 against Kerala and then pushing the envelope by scoring 71 off 49 balls while batting at No.5.
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And on Sunday, he surpassed his earlier attempt by scoring 151 runs in 113 balls with the help of at least 10 sixes. “Venkatesh is definitely going to South Africa. He is bowling 9 or 10 overs every game and with Hardik still recovering, this is the best time to give him a chance and prepare him for the big events ahead.”
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