THE THIRD T20I against South Africa marks the start of a three-match phase for Shubman Gill, who is expected to get an opportunity to find form before the Indian team management looks at a ‘Plan B’ ahead of the T20 World Cup, starting in six weeks.
India play the third T20I against the Proteas on Sunday in Dharamsala, where temperatures are expected to be below 10 degrees. The Indian dressing room is under focus following the extended poor form of captain Suryakumar Yadav and concerns over Gill, who was included in the XI ahead of Sanju Samson.
Gill’s performances so far have not provided assurance, while South Africa’s pace unit of Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Ottniel Baartman and Lutho Sipamla has shown an effective approach on Indian pitches. The HPCA Stadium surface, which offers extra bounce and movement, could suit the visitors.
South Africa appear balanced in personnel for conditions in the Indian subcontinent. Quinton de Kock’s return, along with Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Donovan Ferreira, David Miller and all-rounder Jansen, strengthens their batting.
With eight matches left before the T20 World Cup title defence, head coach Gautam Gambhir faces selection calls. As captain, Suryakumar Yadav is expected to retain his place despite a year of poor form, but the same certainty does not apply to Gill, who was not the first-choice opener.
Gill will need to find his T20 rhythm and score in at least two of the three matches to retain his spot, with options such as Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal available. Jaiswal has a T20I strike-rate of 165.
Lack of clarity
Sending Axar Patel at No.3 in the second T20I was described as a “tactical brain fade”. The move is unlikely to be repeated, with the captain expected to return to No.3, a position where he had success earlier in his international career.
Shivam Dube being pushed down to No.8 due to batting-order changes was another decision that may be reviewed for the next match.
Is there a place for Kuldeep Yadav?
Kuldeep Yadav has troubled South Africa’s batters but faces competition in a side where batting till No.8 is considered essential. Playing both Kuldeep and Varun Chakravarthy could weaken batting depth.
Kuldeep may again miss out in Dharamsala. While Arshdeep Singh has not had a strong series so far, the team management may consider combinations with Hardik Pandya sharing the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah.
The five-match series is tied 1-1.
Teams:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, NT Tilak Verma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Lutho Sipamla, Ottniel Baartman, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde.
(With inputs from agencies)
