It may be an insignificant game on paper but Indian bowlers await another tough test against South Africa ahead of the T20 World Cup when the two teams face off in the final match of the three-match series here on Tuesday .
After sealing their maiden series against South Africa at home, the Indian team management has decided to rest their leading batsman Virat Kohli and vice-captain KL Rahul for the final match.
A BCCI official said, “Yes, both Virat and Rahul have been rested from the final T20.
After the final match against the Proteas, Kohli and Rahul will join the team in Mumbai from where the team is scheduled to leave for Australia on October 6 for the T20 World Cup.
It is expected that additional batsman Shreyas Iyer will replace Kohli for the final match in the playing XI. With Rahul also resting, Rohit Sharma will open with Suryakumar Yadav or Rishabh Pant.
With no other reserve batsmen in the team, one might get a chance to see either Shahbaz Ahmed or Mohammad Siraj or Umesh Yadav.
Since their early exit from the T20 World Cup 12 months ago, the Indian batting has come a long way and is looking strong ahead of the next edition that begins later this month.
Most of the batsmen are similar from the UAE version but it is the drastic change in approach that has made the difference.
Entering the ICC event, India’s high-profile top-three entered top form, including Rahul, who allayed concerns about his strike rate with a scintillating effort on Sunday.
Kohli has batted at a strike rate of over 140 since the Asia Cup, including three 50s and a much-awaited century. Captain Rohit has played impressive innings during the six matches at home against Australia and South Africa.
Number four Suryakumar Yadav is in a league in his own right and seems to be batting at a much higher level than his teammates, so much so that Rohit went on to play him straight in the team’s World Cup opening match against Pakistan on 23 October. are considering.
Pant is yet to bat in the series and though Dinesh Karthik got seven deliveries in the second T20, he too will be hoping to get a hit in the middle.
Jasprit Bumrah’s absence has exacerbated India’s bowling woes, especially in the death overs, but the team needs to find a way out if the star pacer is not fit in time for the ICC event.
Deepak Chahar, who is included in the World Cup reserves, has been impressive with the new ball but his effectiveness at the back end of the innings remains in question.
Arshdeep Singh has made an impact with both the new and old ball but was unusually expensive on Sunday. After bowling three no balls, it was a forgettable night for the left-arm pacer who will be eager to bounce back.
The changes that Harshal Patel relies on to keep the batsmen under control have not been producing the desired results since his return from injury.
Red-ball great R Ashwin is yet to get a wicket in the series and India will look to him for wickets in the middle overs.
Siraj, who is part of the squad in Bumrah’s absence, may also get a chance to play at the Holkar Stadium, but India can continue with out-of-favour Harshal Patel as he will need more playing time after injury.
In the extreme humidity of Guwahati, the South African pacers struggled to catch the ball and offered several full tosses to the Indian batsmen. They want to fix it.
Despite losing the series, there has been a lot of positivity for the visitors in the batting department. Continuing his dangerous form this year, David Miller scored an unbeaten century while Quinton de Kock got the much-needed runs ahead of the World Cup.
The biggest concern for the Proteas is the form of their captain Temba Bavuma, who has not scored a single run in the series so far.
Teams (from)
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Umesh Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Shahbaz Ahmed and Mohammad Siraj.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuyn, Reeza Hendrix, Henrik Klaasen, Marco Jensen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Enrique Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Pretorius Rabada, Riley Rossouw, Tabrez Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs.
The match will start at 7 PM IST.
