After an incredible start to the T20I series, where India comfortably won the first game against South Africa by 61 runs, the tables have turned in favour of the Indian team. The second T20I witnessed an astonishing 3-wicket loss for India at the hands of South Africa who chased down a mere target of 124/6 laid before them with six balls to spare. The series now stands 1-1. India has an arduous climb back to regain momentum going into Wednesday’s third T20I at Centurion. Much will rest on this coming back with the bats, as it did with their bowling, and dealing with areas of concern, such as batting.
The Context: India’s T20I Struggles and the Road Ahead
While the first T20I witnessed an impressive victory associated with India, the second match experienced a huge downfall for them. However, despite a brilliant bowling performance from Varun Chakravarthy, who took 5 wickets for 24 runs, India’s score of 124/6 was always going to be too low against a vigorous South African team. As impressive as Chakravarthy’s performance was for the Indian fans, South Africa was too strong and managed to score the target with six balls to spare. Now that the series has levelled at one apiece, the Indian team has to analyse what was amiss and effect necessary changes ahead of the next match. As they prepare for Centurion’s third match, there are some important challenges that the Indian management will have to deal with. The most important of these is the instability experienced in their batting order mainly in the opening slots.
The Key Areas for India’s Improvement
- Opening Woes: The Case of Abhishek Sharma
From the onset of the second T20I match, the batting woes for India became too evident. The management had to include Abhishek Sharma to replace the injured Shubman Gill. However, he is going through a bad patch in batting for a longer period. His failure at the top-order batting has upset the batting configuration of the team. The young left-hander has not managed to ignite the requisite fire at the top which is why the…
Throughout history, Suryakumar Yadav and the Indian team management have showed their support for Sharma but with every match played, it becomes more worrying his current form. In T20 cricket the need for a good base is very critical thus with the way Sharma has slumped, it may lead to a change in the setup of the openers.
A reshuffle could also see Tilak Varma getting promoted to open the innings together with Sanju Samson. Tilak Varma, who has recently performed exceptionally well for India, possesses both the ability and the mental strength to flourish at the top order against quality teams. His ability to come in and play different types of innings at different match situations at different phases should help stabilize the top order and allow for greater room in the middle order.
- Rinku Singh’s Role in the Middle Order
The other aspect of the team which can raise eyebrows is the middle-order. Pant and Surya can rescue the team from tricky situations but it is the middle order of Rinku Singh which could prove to be useful in the third T20. Hailing from a domestic circuit where this young batter shined in particular, Singh is considered an important team member who can turn the match around. Bs Singh’s talents are obvious, but his success as a middle-order batsman has been sporadic, and he can give India the strength that it requires during puncturing periods in a match if only he gets his act together. Last but not least, Suryakumar Yadav, who is captaining the side for the first time in the series, is also expected to score a few runs with the bat in his hands. He did well with the bat in the first T20I, however if India are to recover in the third T20I, he will have to go beyond those standards and bring about a match-winning performance.
- The Bowler’s Dilemma: Avesh Khan vs Yash Dayal
On the flip side, India’s bowling unit has been a blend of admirations and farcical. Despite that, the Five-for Varun Chakravarthy’s second T20I heroics helped in keeping India in the game. Even Ravi Bishnoi has been effective providing key wickets in both games.
Quite the contrary has been the performance of the Indian pacers. Arshdeep Singh so far has been a mixed bag—his economy is debatable but he has failed torments and scalps. Another player, Avesh Khan did not enjoy a good second T20I match, as he copped a lot of runs without nemesis coming through where it was most required.
With such showing, it seems that India would want Yash Dayal in place of Avesh Khan. Dayal, who is a left arm pacer, adds variation to the attack and could be more useful in a fast and bouncy surface such as the one in Centurion. His ability to swing the ball in the powerplay- which is all too important, could bring a huge plus for India in the third T20I.
- Axar Patel’s Role with the Ball
Axar Patel, with his left-arm spin skills, has gone quite a way in giving India control in the middle overs. Still, his batting skills have not been made fullest use of-and the lower order is the area where he would indeed have provided depth to the side. His one-day record of hitting those big shots and remaining quite unruffled in trying pressure situations makes him a great asset in the remaining matches. Patel’s principal jobs would be in restricting runs and taking a couple of match-winning middle-over wickets for India, which happens to be the biggest test against South Africa’s batting lineup.
India’s Predicted XI for the 3rd T20I
India might fiddle a bit with the top order for the third T20I against South Africa. Centurion is a ground known for fast, bouncy pitches, and India’s team management would want a balance that can negate that pace and bounce without looking too short on firepower in case they have to go hard at the chase or set a competitive total.
Here is the prophesied XI of India for the third T20I:
- Sanju Samson (wk)
- Abhishek Sharma (or Tilak Varma)
- Suryakumar Yadav (c)
- Tilak Varma (or Abhishek Sharma)
- Hardik Pandya
- Rinku Singh
- Axar Patel
- Yash Dayal (in place of Avesh Khan)
- Ravi Bishnoi
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Arshdeep Singh
Key Changes and Reasons:
- Opening Combination: As for the look of Abhishek Sharma, the team management may give him an opportunity to open along with Sanju Samson as he has been regular and as a result can give a balance to opening combination.
- Yash Dayal In: Avesh Khan’s inconsistency in the second T20I could see a change in the pace bowling department. He might come in and add the much-needed variety to the attack, mainly because of the conditions at Centurion.
- Axar Patel Continuity: Given his bowling and batting down the order, Axar Patel is likely to find a place in the XI. That axar has to get his team over the line with some big contributions with the bat in the final overs of the match.
South Africa’s Challenge and India’s Strategy
Momentum South Africa takes into the third T20I from levelling the series in dramatic fashion and their chase in the second game was testament to their middling overs, batters where they displayed calmness maturity in chasing a fairly small target. They would have to stem the scourge of Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, and David Miller, who is all in good nick for India to turn it around.
Early intervention would help India’s bowlers, especially in the powerplay, to restrict aggressive openers from Proteas. India would then have to hold the experience of South Africa middle order at bay, which proved to be one of the team’s most formidable strengths in this series.
Conclusion: A Crucial Match for Both Teams
At Centurion, the third T20I is a must-win game for India as well as South Africa, as the series has been perfectly poised at 1-1, and a result to this match will prove to give one of the teams an upper hand on the other. India’s batsmen will have to settle their batting, while the team needs to think about the right balance between attack and stability while making some tactical changes to their lineup. They can easily bounce back and take the lead 2-1 if they get the right adjustments and play according to their plans on the field.
That makes it a great opportunity for Suryakumar Yadav and his team to prove their mettle and regain the momentum. With matches-winner Suryakumar, Hardik Pandya, and the bowling frontline led by the good form of Varun Chakravarthy, India will be looking to produce a comeback and seize this opportunity at crunch time in this series.
