T20 WC: Creases that India must straighten during the South Africa series

The Indian cricket team did well to come back from 0-1 down to win the three-match T20I series against Australia 2-1. The victory in the last game was sweetened because it came in a very tough situation. Virat Kohli coming back to form and Axar Patel providing a really good option were some of the gains from the series, no doubt, but some things demand attention from the Indian think tank and must be worked upon. 

 

The Indian death bowling issue

 

Since the Asia Cup, the Indian death bowling has been under the radar, and it was thought that with Jasprit Bumrah coming back, things might improve. However, Tim David and Daniel Sams showed that Bumrah could have an off day too, and on that day, people like Harshal Patel and Bhuvneshwar Kumar come good. 

 

Arshdeep Singh bowled well in the Asia Cup and will have the chance to prove himself in the upcoming T20I series against South Africa to showcase his death bowling skills. If he performs well, he might as well replace Bhuvneshwar in the playing eleven.

 

Anyhow, India must find a trio of fast bowlers who could bowl well at the death. Getting hit by innovative shots on your perfectly executed balls is still fine. Still, if you are bowling a low full toss instead of a yorker, half pitch delivery instead of a slower bouncer or wide instead of a wide yorker, then you can not be expected to be praised by the skipper. 

 

Rohit Sharma’s inconsistency

 

The skipper of the Indian team needs to find form. It has been a long time since Rohit Sharma has played several good innings on the trot. In 2022, Rohit has hit only two fifties in 34 innings and scored only 765 runs with a meagre average of 23.90. 

 

The Rohit that was chosen to captain India was consistent as a batter. Whether he was the skipper of Mumbai Indians or not, he played his natural game. That natural game seems to have been affected this year. However, if India must aim for World Cup glory, Rohit has three more T20Is to get back into the groove. 

 

Chahal being ineffective

 

Yuzvendra Chahal was not picked for the T20 World Cup in 2021. Everybody agreed that he should have been, and in the IPL, he showed too that he is more than a capable leg-spin bowler to deserve a place in the Indian playing eleven. However, since the Asia Cup 2022, Chahal has remained ineffective, and in his last seven T20Is, he has picked more than one wicket just once, resulting in a losing cause against Sri Lanka. 

 

If Chahal must be retained in the playing eleven, which would be a tough job, given that Axar Patel is already bowling well and one spinner is enough in the Australian conditions, he must prove himself in the upcoming series. 

 

The decision between Pant and Karthik

 

Who among Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant should be played is a very tough choice India has faced for some time now. Karthik has proven himself in the limited opportunities that he has got as a finisher. He must be continued because Rishabh Pant has failed in the limited opportunities that he has got. In the three upcoming matches, Karthik must be played in all to test his finishing skills and only if he fails should Pant be the first choice as a wicket-keeper batter in Australia.