TACTICAL PREVIEW
Follow UsThe cricketing landscape is changing and the T20I series between India and South Africa is a testament to it. The format, in its international avatar, is a breeding ground for the biennale event which is the T20 World Cup. There are still seven months left before the 2024 edition. However, both India and South Africa have fewer games at hand than the number of months left, courtesy of the franchise tournaments that now take precedence over the international fixtures.
The rained-out series opener in Durban has further reduced the opportunity to test out players. Now, with only five T20Is left before the showpiece event, India have multiple spots to decide and prepare for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli phasing out of the format. There is almost a palpable feeling that a few slots will be filled based on one or two good performances, making it a vital series for the management and players involved. The fortunes can change in the blink of an eye.
South Africa have only this series before they have to announce the World Cup squad. They will have the youngster Matthew Breetzke set to open the innings alongside Reeza Hendricks in the absence of Temba Bavuma. There are two debutants in store, Nandre Burger and Ottniel Baartman. Meanwhile, they will have their eyes set on the batting returns of Tristan Stubbs and Donovan Ferreira, as well as their bowling form that has blown hot and cold throughout the year.
There are also calls for Faf du Plessis’ return. But to bring him in, there isn’t enough game time for the youngsters to fail. Not to forget Quinton de Kock. South Africa’s best batter at the recently concluded ODI World Cup, de Kock is certain to open the batting for the Proteas in the T20 World Cup without featuring for the national side in the final series before the squad announcement.
As confirmed by both skippers, Suryakumar Yadav and Aiden Markram, both sides will rely on their franchise competitions to pick the squads - SA20 for South Africa and IPL for India - but the factor of playing together as a unit will be missing. Thus, the remaining two games come with stiff implications from a long-eyed vision of the T20 World Cup.
Things to watch out for
Spots up for grabs?
Unlike South Africa who are certain to welcome a few players up top when the World Cup arrives, India are yet to decide on the future of Rohit and Kohli in the shortest format. That opens a few spots in the top order.
With Shubman Gill returning and set to open, the Indian management will have to pick one between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal to be his opening partner. Gaikwad and Jaiswal played all five games against Australia, impressing in different capacities. There will also be eyes on Shreyas Iyer, who is a potential replacement for Kohli at three.
In a more gripping fight, picking one between Ishan Kishan and Jitesh Sharma will be a real head-scratcher. Kishan is more experienced but has minuscule chances of playing at his preferred spot in the top order. Jitesh, in the handful of chances at his disposal, has shown he can add value in the middle order with impactful cameos. Hence, with the spot open for Jitesh at five, Kishan may start the series on the bench.
ALSO READ: The importance of Jitesh Sharma in India's jigsaw puzzle
Moving to the bowlers, only one seat for a wrist spinner put Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav in another interesting bout. Bishnoi, the highest wicket-taker in the India-Australia series, is also the number one ranked bowler in the format. However, Kuldeep has been India’s first-choice spinner in white-ball cricket. Therefore, India’s combination will draw a few eyeballs at the toss.
Jadeja’s return
Ravindra Jadeja is set to feature in India’s T20I side after 467 days. He comes in as the vice-captain and at the expense of the in-form Axar Patel. In between, the left-hander had a good IPL 2023 with the ball, averaging 21.6 for his 20 wickets at 17.1 balls apiece. Both the average and the strike rate were the best for Jadeja in a year in IPL. But his batting has been a point of discussion, touching various highs and lows.
ALSO READ: Back at the expense of in-form Axar, Jadeja needs to justify his T20I selection
For a team that has jostled hard at creating batting depth, Jadeja’s batting will be a key takeaway from the series.
Ground Details and Conditions
The St. George’s Park in Gqeberha isn’t one of the prime T20I venues in the country. It has hosted only three T20 internationals from 2007 to 2020. However, since 2022, it has most T20s played at a venue in South Africa.
The conditions here are vastly different from Kingsmead in Durban which was supposed to host the first T20I. It was a high-scoring venue with plenty of help for the seam bowlers. However, the average run-rate at St. George’s Park has only been 7.5 since 2022, hinting at a slower pitch. The spinners have accounted for 44.9% of the total wickets, the highest at any venue in South Africa in this time frame.
There is a rain forecast during the day. The match kicks off at 5 PM local time and the rain is expected to fade away around the toss but we can still have a delayed start or a truncated game.
Tactical Insights
> If South Africa play Tabraiz Shamsi, they would like to keep him away from Shreyas Iyer. In overall T20s, Iyer has churned out 63 runs against Shamsi off 33 deliveries at the cost of only one dismissal.
> Left-arm orthodox spinners are Aiden Markram’s kryptonite. In 52 T20 innings since 2022, Markram has been dismissed nine times by left-arm finger spin, averaging only 11 at a strike rate of 103.1. Thus, Jadeja becomes an excellent option to subvert the South Africa skipper.
Probable XIs
India: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal/Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav ( c ), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Rinku Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar/Mukesh Kumar, Ravi Bishnoi/Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj
South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram ( c ), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs/Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo/Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi/Lizaad Williams
