India vs South Africa: Five Indian players to watch out for in T20I series against South Africa
India vs South Africa: With the Gujarat Titans proclaimed champions in front of a record audience of 1,04,859 fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 29, cricket’s focus now switches to the men’s T20 World Cup, which will be hosted in Australia in October-November this year.
Therefore, India will host South Africa for a five-match T20I series commencing June 9 on this journey.
The first encounter of the series, which will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, will provide the Indian squad the opportunity to extend their T20I winning streak to 13 games. At the moment, India is tied with Afghanistan and Romania for the most consecutive T20I victories (12).
India has rested key players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah, with KL Rahul leading the 18-man squad and Rishabh Pant as his deputy. Here are five Indian players to keep an eye on in the series against South Africa, which includes both newcomers and veterans:
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya responded to his critics with a hugely influential all-round performance in the IPL 2022 final against Rajasthan Royals, taking 3/17 with the ball and patiently making 34 with the bat. Concerns regarding the Gujarat Titans captain’s fitness, particularly his bowling, surrounded him.
Pandya, on the other hand, led his team to their first IPL triumph in front of his home crowd in Ahmedabad. He finished the season with 487 runs for an average of 44.27 in 15 matches, including four half-centuries and eight wickets.
In the five-match series, the attention will undoubtedly be on Pandya and his all-round abilities.
KL Rahul
During the Lucknow Super Giants’ IPL 2022 season, where they qualified for the playoffs before losing in the Eliminator, KL Rahul’s leadership and batting garnered him a lot of praise.
Rahul, the opener, had a fantastic season with the bat, finishing second in the tournament with 616 runs at an average of 51.33, albeit his strike rate of 135.38 has been a point of contention.
India would be hoping that Rahul becomes more aggressive with the bat at the top of the order.
Dinesh Karthik
With regular performances as a specialised finisher for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022, Dinesh Karthik not only knocked on the door, but pushed it open wide. Karthik, who also won the IPL’s ‘Super Striker of the Season’ award with a mind-boggling strike rate of 183, showed his finishing prowess in the death-overs phase, scoring 242 runs at a strike rate of 220.
Karthik would hope to repeat his IPL 2022 performances in the Indian jersey. And earn a ticket in the trip to the men’s T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. Now that he has been recalled to the T20I squad.
Umran Malik
The Sunrisers Hyderabad pace machine from Jammu drew everyone’s attention. Recording speeds in excess of 150 kmph on a regular basis. With a 157.3 kmph thunderbolt, Lockie Ferguson took the trophy for fastest ball of the tournament. But Umran wowed Indian fans with his raw velocity.
Umran took 22 wickets in his first full IPL season. With his best performance of 5/25 against the eventual champions Gujarat Titans. Legends of the game all backed Malik to play for India, and it would be interesting to see. If he can keep the speed gun busy against South Africa with improved line and length control.
Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh, like Malik, is a promising pacer who has piqued the interest of many in IPL 2022. With his ability to hit yorkers and regularly target the block hole. The 23-year-old had become Punjab Kings’ go-to bowler in the final overs.
As a result of all of this, Arshdeep concluded the season with a 7.58 death-overs economy rate. As well as 10 wickets and best bowling statistics of 3/37. Arshdeep, who was part of India’s winning U19 World Cup side in 2018. He would be looking to continue his fine form in the series against South Africa.
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