SA vs IND, T20Is: BCCI announce Team India squad against South Africa for 4 T20Is. Have India zeroed down their options for multiple positions or still in hunt?
India, the 2024 T20 World champions have had a sensational year as far as the shortest format of the game is concerned. The Men in Blue lost just a solitary game in the format this year and have registered most dominant victories.
Though Team India have won 19 of their 22 games this year (two of them being a tie), they haven’t always fielded their strongest XI. The world champs tried several players for different roles and still found a way to humble their opponents. Their squad for the upcoming 4-match T20I series in South Africa starting at Durban on November 8 is no different.
With many of the first-choice players named in the Test squad for their 5-match series in Australia, India’s T20I squad looks different from what they had during the T20s against Bangladesh. Team India continue to experiment with their bench strength and give chances to as many players as possible before the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Let’s analyse India’s T20I team for South Africa
India’s squad for 4 T20Is against South Africa: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.
Chance for batting trio to shine
The one constant pair in this 15-member squad compared to the team which played against Bangladesh are the openers, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. In the absence of regular opener, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, the Sanju-Abhishek duo once again gets a crack at top of the order.
This series will be important for both these stroke makers in the long run. Samson is riding on a high following his superlative century in the Hyderabad T20I against Bangladesh. He will look to enhance his chances further in a country where he scored his first international century (in ODIs) last year.
His partner, Abhishek, on the contrary, didn’t have the best of outings against Bangladesh, scoring just 35 runs in three outings. Apart from cracking a century in Zimbabwe, the left-hander hasn’t had the best of times. So, he would maximize these chances to full extent and would ideally want to replicate his recent good show in the Emerging Asia Cup tournament.
The other player to watch out for is Rinku Singh. The left-hander has proved himself in the limited opportunities he has got at this level, scoring 479 runs in just 19 innings at an incredible strike rate of 175.45. But amidst a packed middle-order, Rinku needs to continue his good show, especially as a finisher.
Ramandeep Singh gets a eye in
In the absence of all-rounders like Shivam Dube (injury) and Nitish Reddy (call-up to Test team), the team management has decided to give a maiden national call up to Ramandeep Singh. The all-rounder is a fierce striker of the ball and can be useful as an extra pace-bowling option.
This series is a golden opportunity for Ramandeep to give a good account for himself in the absence of other players (Riyan Parag, Nitish, Dube), who are vying for a similar role.
Another player who is making a sort of comeback to the team is Axar Patel. With Ravindra Jadeja bidding adieu to the format, Axar is the senior most spin-bowling all-rounder in the team. Having missed out on a Test spot for the Australia series, the left-arm spinner will want to make the right noise in the shortest format.
New look pace bowling department
India’s senior most pacer in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, will lead a pace attack that comprises Avesh Khan, Vijaykumar Vyshak and Yash Dayal. While Avesh played last of his 23 T20Is in the Zimbabwe series, Vyshak and Dayal are yet to be capped at this level.
So, this pace attack is considerably inexperienced but highly talented. Hence, good showing from the trio in how many ever chances they get will keep them in good stead for the upcoming months.
Coming to the question, has India solved a jigsaw puzzle in terms of zeroing on the next World Cup squad, the answer is no. There is still a long way to go for the event but India are taking great steps to be in a good position when the time does arrive.
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