team india coach Satisfied Dravid It has gone on record to say that he wants to identify his core team for the tournament at the earliest and by the end of the England T20I in July, to have a fair idea about the 18 to 20 players who will be selected for the tournament. He will be watching before the World Cup in Australia.
Some regular players were rested for the series against South Africa. Captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah were all rested. Suryakumar Yadav was injured. KL Rahul was initially named the captain of the series before getting injured Rishabh Pant Was asked to lead for the first time.
TimesofIndia.com here looks at the players who were given a full run in the series, i.e., they played all the five matches against South Africa and how some of them capitalized on the opportunities while others failed to make the most of the opportunities – Hit and miss.
First let’s take a look at the players who made it count:
Ishan Kishan: The weak opener had a bad IPL, as did his team Mumbai Indians, but he didn’t let those setbacks get in the way of his flamboyant stroke. In fact, Kishan returned to form and became the highest run-scorer in the series.
With two fifties, Kishan scored 206 runs in the series with the highest score of 76 at a strike rate of 150.36. If he continues in this form, it will be very difficult for the selectors to ignore him or drop him as he will be a ‘good headache’ as he is also a good wicketkeeper.
Hardik Pandya: with Hardik Pandya In the ranks, this Indian team has a different look. A finisher in the order, a big hitter who can throw his bat around when fast runs are needed, a medium-pacer who can bowl at a decent pace, the hearty all-rounder is back in Team India and looking good. Used to be . He was the second highest run-scorer with 117 runs in 4 innings for India in the T20I series vs South Africa.
And in his maiden season to guide newcomer Gujarat Titans to an IPL title, Hardik proved his captaincy credentials to all and went on to captain Team India in two T20Is against Ireland on 26th and 28th of this month. are ready.
Hardik finished as the third highest run-scorer overall in the T20I series vs South Africa at a strike rate of 153.94. Hardik took India to good scores more than once with his flamboyant innings. A proven performer, Hardik could be one of India’s biggest match-winners.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: With 7 wickets in the series, Harshal Patel finished as the top wicket-taker, but it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar He was adjudged the Player of the Series for his excellent bowling performance against South Africa.
Bhuvneshwar took one wicket less than Harshal, but with an economy of 6.07 and a best bowling performance of 4/13, the veteran pacer played a key role in stopping the Proteas’ batsmen from going slam bang when needed.
With Jasprit Bumrah in full force at the other end, Bhuvneshwar can provide the Indian bowling unit with a calming effect down under, send good length deliveries and will be more than a handful to score runs that will eventually lead to crucial wickets . Bhuvi seems to have rediscovered himself and this is the version the team management would like to see moving forward.
Now have a look at the players who could not make it to the count:
Ruturaj Gaikwad:Ruturaj Gaikwad Scored 4 more runs than Dinesh Karthik (92) in the series, but when you’re playing in the team in place of a proven performer, a batting great, at a spot where the team already has few options, you get a pile You have to score big to make your mark.
Barring an innings of 57 runs, Gaikwad failed to give the team a warm and decent start, which is much needed in a T20 match.
The CSK opener displayed substantial talent in the series but it is the number of innings that puts a player in the playing XI and with the return of regular players like Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, it will be difficult for Gaikwad. in his place.
He has impressed everyone in the IPL but going forward he will have to make the most of the opportunities he has in India if he wants to be counted on a regular basis.
Rishabh Pant: His form was being criticized for winning a historic Test series in Australia, when he was made captain of the team after KL Rahul was injured, the career of Rishabh Pant was completed.
Pant lost all five tosses in the T20I series vs SA. While he was certainly not in his hands, what he did was to keep a calm mind and be at the crease when his team needed him the most. But Pant was guilty of throwing his bat on wide delivery and for making reckless and careless shots more than once in the series.
As a result, Pant could manage only 58 runs in the series with the highest score of 29 at a strike rate of 105.45.
But Pant is the country’s first choice keeper-batsman and coach Rahul Dravid has also made it clear that he is an important part of Team India’s plans going forward.
The fact that India managed to come back from 0-2 to go down to 2-2 in the series will certainly be a positive for Captain Pant.
Shreyas Iyer: It’s no secret that Shreyas Iyer has immense talent, but he really wasn’t able to take advantage of the opportunities this time around. At a time when there is stiff competition for berths in the Indian playing XI and a limited number of slots vying for extremely talented players, Iyer will know that he needs to perform on a consistent basis.
Iyer scored 94 runs in the series without a half-century at a strike rate of 123.68.
But Iyer has been a proven performer and although he is not part of the squad for the Ireland T20Is, he should be back in the squad for the T20I series against England. It will then be up to him to prove his worth for the team for the T20 World Cup berth.