The upcoming T20I series against South Africa can prove to be a vital starting point for the Indian T20 side in their preparations for the World T20 later in the year. The players are coming on the back of a gruelling Indian T20 League season, while some players may be high on confidence, there could be others who would be hoping for a change in fortunes when they put on the blue Indian jersey.
Some key players have been rested for the series against South Africa and that gives the management some room to tinker with the tactics. Here we’ve identified three key punts that the team could take in this five-match T20I series against South Africa.
PLAY HARDIK PANDYA IN THE MIDDLE ORDER
Indian T20 League winning captain Hardik Pandya had a superb tournament with the bat for his franchise Team Gujarat. The hard-hitting batter showed different levels to his game in this recently concluded tournament. He batted at number four while burdening the responsibility of doing the bulk of scoring for his team.
Pandya looked in sublime touch in the season and finished with his personal best tally of over 400 runs. For India previously, the all-rounder has played the role of a finisher and hasn’t had the opportunity to bat higher up the order. This series against South Africa can be the perfect time for him to take that added responsibility and bat in the middle order, at number four or five.
MAKE THE MOST OF DK’S CURRENT FORM
Talking about who could do the job of the finisher in this team then there’s no batter in the country in better form than Dinesh Karthik at the moment. DK has had an unforgettable season in the Indian T20 League and was by far the best finisher in the league. That has helped him come back into the national setup and could be key for the team going into the World Cup.
The management should make the most of DK’s current form and give him the number six or seven spot in the batting order to make it his own.
USE ARSHDEEP AS THE DEATH SPECIALIST
Punjab’s young and quick left-arm pacer, Arshdeep Singh has been rewarded by the national selectors for consistently improving in the past few seasons in the Indian T20 League. Arshdeep may not have been amongst the highest wicket-takers in the league but surely was one of the most effective death-over bowlers in the competition.
He should be handed his debut in the very first match of the series and be given the role of a death overs specialist alongside Harshal Patel and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The trio can prove to be extremely difficult to score runs off in the final few overs of the innings and can be game-changers in this series.
Read: Jos Buttler: MVP of the 2022 Indian T20 League Season
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