After an enthralling end to the series against Australia, the Indian Cricket Team is all set to lock horns against South Africa in a three-match T20I series. The first game will be played on Wednesday (28th September) in Thiruvananthapuram followed by a second and third game to be played on October 2nd and October 4th in Guwahati and Indore respectively.
Three Indian players who need to perform against South Africa
The series against Australia saw India ticking almost every box. However, there were a few areas that they need to improve before heading into the T20 World Cup 2022. As India will take on South Africa, we take a look at three players who need to perform.
KL Rahul
The T20I series against South Africa will be extremely important for KL Rahul. The batter has come under criticism for his poor strike rate and he failed to impress even in the three matches against Australia. Rahul started the series on high by smashing a half-century and then failed to be consistent as he departed for low scores in the last two games. With India playing the Proteas in the last series ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022, the Indian opener needs to shine for his side and get his rhythm back.
KL Rahul’s failure in key matches is a serious concern. Has happened far too many times #INDVAUS
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) September 25, 2022
Yuzvendra Chahal
Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal had another disappointing series as he managed to take only two wickets in the three games and was also expensive in the first two games. With him the only leg-spinner in the Indian side, there’s no doubt that he needs to step up and take wickets in the middle for his side during the World Cup and only then India can fancy their chances of winning. With him failing to take wickets and restrict runs of late, it’ll be extremely necessary for him to regain his form in the series against South Africa.
Harshal Patel
Ahead of the series against Australia, many were optimistic about Indian bowling delivering especially with the return of Harshal Patel in the side. However, he was quite expensive through the series and leaked runs at a higher rate whenever he came to bowl. In the three games he played against the Aussies, he took only 1 wicket and looked clueless. With him being the top pacer in the Indian side, Harshal needs to find his form back and return to picking wickets at regular intervals in the series against South Africa ahead of the marquee tournament.
Most sixes conceded in T20Is in 2022:
31 – Harshal Patel
23 – Romario Shepherd
21 – Avesh Khan
21 – Jason Holder
20 – Mark Adair
20 – Yuzvendra Chahal
20 – Hardik Pandya— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) September 23, 2022
