0:
On May 22, the All-India Senior Selection Committee had named the 18-member squad for the five-match T20I home series against South Africa. The series will be played from June 9 to June 19 in Delhi, Cuttack, Vizag, Rajkot, and Bengaluru. The names were decided based on the performance of the players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic cricket.
With T20 World Cup also scheduled later in the year, the selectors chose players, who are in the frame to be named in the squad for the ICC event. However, there will be some players, who might not likely make a cut in the Playing XI of the Indian team in the T20I series.
1. Ruturaj Gaikwad
One of the finest players in the country, Ruturaj Gaikwad has been consistent with his contributions in the IPL and domestic cricket. Although he started on an average note in the 2022 edition of IPL, he ended with 368 runs at an average of 26.29, with a top score of 99.
Although he has been picked up in almost all the T20I series for the last one year, he has been able to feature in only three matches. In this series as well, the team already has a left-right combination of KL Rahul- Ishan Kishan, and there is not much space either in the number three or four position.
2. Avesh Khan
The talented pacer Avesh Khan was the second-highest wicket-taker in the IPL 2021 with 24 wickets. Hence, he earned a maiden national call-up as well and finally made his debut against West Indies earlier this year. In two matches, he has picked up as many wickets with an economy of 8.12.
Although he did well to pick up 18 wickets in 13 matches in the recently concluded edition of IPL, Khan is not likely to be the first choice pick with the presence of Harshal Patel and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
3. Umran Malik
The young fast bowler from J&K, Umran Malik breathed fire in IPL 2022, with his express speeds of 150+ kph. After being one of the three retained players for the 2022 season by SRH, he went for plenty and failed to get enough wickets. However, his figures of 4/28 and 5/25 helped him to knock on the doors of the selectors.
Interestingly, he earned a maiden call-up to the Indian team for this series. However, Arshdeep Singh might be ahead of him due to the differentiability of being a left-arm pacer.
4. Ravi Bishnoi
The spinner Ravi Bishnoi had scalped 12 wickets in 9 appearances of the IPL 2021 and was named in the Indian squad. Moreover, he was one of the three retained players by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) team. However, he could not replicate his past performances and picked up 13 wickets in 14 matches, with an economy of 8.44.
Although Bishnoi has scalped four wickets in as many matches at a terrific economy of 6.75, he might be kept out of the Playing XI. The team already has three key spinners in form of Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel.
5. Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer shot into the limelight by hitting 370 runs in 10 innings, which helped Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to seal the playoffs spot. With his consistent domestic performances and IPL form, he was inducted into the Indian white-ball team. So far, he has featured in 9 T20Is and has garnered a total of 133 runs at a strike rate of 162.19. His finishing abilities came true earlier this year.
However, Iyer was dropped from the KKR side in IPL 2022 due to his low scores in the first half. He returned in the latter half but could not convert his starts into a big one. The southpaw managed to score only 182 runs in 12 innings. With the players like Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya already as the finishers, he is not likely to place in the Playing XI.
India’s T20I squad for South Africa Series
KL Rahul (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain)(wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik