India will take on South Africa in a much-awaited series that will be crucial in preparing the team for the upcoming T20 Cricket World Cup. On Sunday night we observed some changes that caught the attention of many Indian cricket fans and we are here to learn what to expect of the team as they take on the visitor in their home.
Earlier in the year when India toured South Africa, we had a beast side that raised our expectations to the max. The players were confident and fan even more that this last territory of South Africa will be finally conquered. Much to everyone’s apprehension, nothing like that happened. We lost the almost won Test matches and were clean swept in the One-day Internationals.
South Africa is coming to India to prepare themselves and the hosts for the coming World Cup. With their players in form and playing in the IPL, the focus will be on the Indian side which has seen some big changes in the series. There is the inclusion of two names that will be making their debut in pacers Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh who have consistently impressed everyone in this IPL season.
What is most interesting is India is playing without its two stars, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Obviously, there is no way that this team relies on two batters but their presence matters a lot. Rohit failed to impress in IPL throughout while Virat Kohli suffered his major lack of form this season. He may have picked it up but there were rounds of them taking a break from the game. Both the star batters will hope to rejuvenate themselves for the most important T20 tournament that is preceded by T20 matches against various countries. It is owing to the absence of both these legends, Dinesh Karthik, a fresh inclusion will play an important role and he makes comeback to the side after years. His great understanding of the game and blasting batting form will help KL make better decisions on the field and make it a great learning experience for the young players.
We also saw a few names in Ishan Kishan, Venkatesh Iyer, and Rishabh Pant who may have played not at par with their talent but hold a crucial stand for India for the coming years.
There is no unexpected inclusion on the side, the team is balanced and heavily influenced by IPL performances as we saw a few new names.
During the IPL, most big guns failed to perform while youngsters tried to make their way through and make it an IPL of their life. There will always be a question as if the league is a true judge of a player where performances are heavily influenced by the presence of foreign players and backing from the best coaches and analysts from around the world and if they will be able to perform at the bigger stage that has a very different atmosphere. The questions will keep coming and we hope the players answer them well. Cheers and luck to Team INDIA!
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