Test cricket is the flavour of the season, but Wednesday’s T20I between South Africa and India is packed with possibilities of being a cracker of a contest and so demands the spotlight.
Those following Indian cricket are busy tracking the team bulletins from Australia. But there are still some days to go before the first Test begins in Perth on November 22. While the wait for some thunder from Down Under continues, the four-match T20I series in South Africa is tantalisingly poised for some fireworks with the teams tied 1-1 after the first two games.
The third game is in Centurion and SuperSport Park promises to spice things up with a pacer-friendly wicket that offers plenty of bounce. So the hosts will definitely have an advantage.
But if you think the contest will only be about who bowls better, it may not be the right inference as South Africa chased down a record 259-run target in 18.5 overs against the West Indies last year at the same ground.
Run-making was an issue with the touring Indian team in their last game as they struggled to just 124/6 in 20 overs in Gqeberha. Once the openers departed cheaply, the other batters failed to stand up to the challenge. In the first game, in Durban, India did post a 200-plus total, but it was mainly due to the century from openers Sanju Samson with others doing little down the order.
In other words, this Indian batting line-up lacks depth. Rinku Singh comes in at No. 6 and after him, there’s only Axar Patel who can bat a bit. To make up for that, the likes of captain Suryakumar Yadav will have to shoulder a bigger responsibility. Surya will be hungry to get a good knock after scoring just 21 and 4 in the first two games.
Apart from that, India do not have the resources in their travelling party to make too many changes to their batting line-up. Exciting middle-order batter Ramandeep Singh might be given a chance, but then whom would he replace? One man who perhaps would be under some pressure is opener Abhishek Sharma. A successful stint in the IPL notwithstanding, he must figure out the difference between being aggressive with the bat and being reckless.
India though can think of rejigging their bowling attack given the conditions in Centurion. It might not be a bad idea to throw in a Vijaykumar Vyshak or a Yash Dayal in the mix to surprise the hosts. Both the pacers are yet to make their debut for India.
The spinners, especially Varun Chakravarthy, have fared impressively for India so far. The Proteas batters have struggled to decipher Chakravarthy’s mystery and had not India scored so little in their last match, the spinner’s 5/17 was as good as a match-winning spell. But how effective the spinners will be at the SuperSport Park is a topic of debate.
