The Indian cricket team were given a reality check by South Africa with a five-wicket defeat in their Super 12 match at Perth.
A closely fought contest in some ways, South Africa managed to chase India’s set target of 134 with David Miller anchoring the cause with an unbeaten 59.
On India’s part, there were a couple of talking points. On the positive side, Suryakumar Yadav continued his impressive form in the T20 World Cup as he notched his second fifty-plus score of the competition.
Speaking of negatives, in particular, veteran players Dinesh Karthik and Ravichandran Ashwin failed to make a gigantic impact in the fixture. This invited suggestions of their apparent future for the Men in Blue in the 20 overs format.
Dinesh Karthik
Batting wise, Dinesh Karthik was widely tipped to pivot the middle-order batting for India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup given his tally of 273 runs in 24 matches in 2022.
However, the Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper-batter has only managed seven runs which is a far cry from his usual best. Behind the stumps, he has registered three dismissals (all caught).
Taking his performance into consideration, Karthik has been dropped from India’s squad for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Like Karthik, Ravichandran Ashwin is another seasoned player in line to see his opportunities for India in 20-overs cricket reduced.
Ashwin, who made a return to T20I cricket for India in July 2022 against West Indies, has managed to grab only eight wickets including a solitary scalp against South Africa.
Ravi Ashwin’s return is a bit alarming, given it is his worst return after 12 T20I matches in a calendar year (10 wickets in 2012, 18 wickets in 2016 and eight wickets in 2022).
Final thoughts
With India aiming to book a place in the knockouts, and challenge for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 title, captain Rohit Sharma will need to take a constructive call whether to include the seasoned duo of Dinesh Karthik and Ravichandran Ashwin in India’s upcoming games.
According to reports, it has been hinted that the current T20 World Cup will be the pair’s final assignment. If it is indeed the truth, the joy of watching the Tamil Nadu pair play a significant part in many of India’s T20I successes will always be remembered.
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