The second match of the three-match T20 series between India and South Africa will be played at Gakebarha on Tuesday (December 12). The first match could not be played due to rain. India’s young T20 team will take on Africa with a host of new players. Despite the 4-1 win against Australia, the Indian team can give a chance to new players in this tour.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have decided to withdraw from the T20 series. Players like Shubman Gill, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja are returning after the break. The match played in Durban on Sunday was not even tossed and rain is forecast for the second match as well. Now India have only five more matches to play in this format before the T20 World Cup in June and the team management has only so many matches left to test the players.
In the current situation, the IPL will be the main basis for selecting the Indian team for the T20 World Cup to be held in America and West Indies. The selectors had picked a 17-man squad for the series and now it is unlikely that all 17 players will get a chance in the remaining two matches.
Shubman Gill was not part of the team for the T20 series against Australia after the World Cup. His, Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh’s place in the T20 World Cup six months later is almost assured. Yashaswi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad have scored runs but if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli play the World Cup, these two youngsters will have to perform miraculously in the IPL.
After this, before the World Cup, the Indian team only has to play a home series with Afghanistan. In such a situation the selectors will be forced to use IPL as a basis for World Cup squad selection. Like Rinku, Jitesh Verma is also a good finisher in the T20 format. After the good performance against Australia, he will want to repeat it.
India vs South Africa Predicted Playing XI
India Probable XI: Yashshwi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammad Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
South Africa Predicted XI: Riza Hendricks, Matthew Bretzke, Tristan Stubbs, Aidan Markram (c), Henrik Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Berger, Tabrez Shamsi.