After winning the ODI series against South Africa, the Indian team will now compete in a five-match T20 series. The first T20 match between India and South Africa will be played on Tuesday. This series will mark the return of ODI and Test team captain Shubman Gill and experienced all-rounder Hardik Pandya to the field. Both players have been out of action for some time due to injuries.
India to fine-tune preparations for the T20 World Cup.
The reigning T20 World Champions, India, will begin their preparations for the T20 World Cup to be held at home next year with this series. This series against South Africa is the formal start of India's preparations for the World Cup in February. Before the World Cup, the Indian team will play 10 T20 matches. After South Africa, they will also play a five-match series against New Zealand. India will play its first match in the World Cup against the USA at Wankhede on February 7.
Gill and Hardik's return will strengthen the team.
The return of Gill and Hardik will further strengthen the Indian team. Gill is returning after being sidelined due to a stiff neck during the first Test match against South Africa in Kolkata. It is certain that Gill will open the innings with Abhishek Sharma, and captain Suryakumar Yadav will bat at number three. Hardik's return is equally important for India. The all-rounder, who was out for more than two months due to a quadriceps injury during the Asia Cup, made a spectacular comeback, scoring an unbeaten 77 runs off 42 balls for Baroda in a match of the Mushtaq Ali Trophy and then taking one wicket for 52 runs in four overs.
Abhishek Sharma is in excellent form
Explosive opening batsman Abhishek Sharma is in excellent form. Abhishek performed brilliantly in Australia. He scored 163 runs and was the highest run-scorer for India. He has also performed well at the domestic level since then. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, this left-handed batsman from Punjab scored 304 runs at an average of 50.66 and a strike rate of over 249, including a blistering knock of 148 runs off 52 balls against Bengal.
Suryakumar needs to prove his mettle with the bat.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav's prolonged poor form has been a major topic of discussion ahead of this series. He scored 717 runs for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, but since then, he hasn't been able to perform as expected. Since taking over as full-time T20 captain last July, he has scored only 184 runs in 15 innings at an average of 15.33. Moreover, his strike rate has also dropped to 127.77, compared to 187 in 2022. This series will be crucial for Suryakumar before the World Cup, as he could only manage 165 runs in five matches in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy as well.
Gill's return will disrupt Samson's position.
The wicketkeeper-batsman role is a contest between Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma. In Australia, Samson batted only once when he was sent in at number three. After that, Jitesh was included in the team for the last three T20 matches. Since India's World Cup win, Samson is third on the list of highest run-scorers among Indian batsmen. He has scored three centuries as an opener, two of which were scored in South Africa. However, Gill's return as vice-captain has pushed Samson down the order into a role he has rarely played in T20 cricket. Samson also performed well in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring two half-centuries. On the other hand, Jitesh's highest score in six matches was 41 runs. It is more likely that Samson will be given a chance in the playing XI ahead of Jitesh.
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