Kolkata: The air is set to be clean, the boundaries probably the longest ever on this tour as India aim to deny South Africa a win at Ahmedabad on Friday that can allow them to square the T20I series.
The abandoned match at Lucknow has already ensured India, leading 2-1, cannot lose the series but with some key issues yet to be sorted, the hosts must be looking forward to this match as eagerly as South Africa.
Top among them is Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill’s lean run less than two months before the T20 World Cup. Baffling is how Suryakumar’s strike rate has sharply slipped from a career high of 187.43 in 2022 to 125.29 this year. Not a single fifty in 18 innings while averaging only 14.20 for his 213 runs, Suryakumar right now is a shade of the middle-overs enforcer who was a vital cog of the 2022 and 2024 T20 World Cup sides.
The Dharamsala T20I was indicative of his decline, Suryakumar looking decent for a 11-ball 11 before he tried to hit Lungo Ngidi behind him over fine leg. Everything with that shot, starting with the ball selection—it was fuller than usual—to the execution screamed lack of confidence that translated into weak execution.
{{/usCountry}}The Dharamsala T20I was indicative of his decline, Suryakumar looking decent for a 11-ball 11 before he tried to hit Lungo Ngidi behind him over fine leg. Everything with that shot, starting with the ball selection—it was fuller than usual—to the execution screamed lack of confidence that translated into weak execution.
{{/usCountry}}This, mind you, has been Suryakumar’s bread and butter shot ever since he started playing this format. To lose one’s touch to such an extent that even the most assured scoring shot becomes tricky can be damning for anyone trying to score big. For the India captain to be in such an indecisive state so close to the T20 World Cup can be counterproductive.
India might not admit that, given how they have publicly committed to playing a brand of cricket that looks beyond individual contributions. But when the captain and the vice-captain, who also opens the batting, go off the boil then it can start affecting the overall composure. Gill’s entry into this team hasn’t been a smooth one, given Yashasvi Jaiswal had already shown some potential opening the batting.
But the triple temptation of deploying a left-right opening pair, finding an ideal foil for the mercurial Abhishek Sharma, and providing India with a leadership option post Suryakumar was too much to ignore Gill.
It’s not as if he hasn’t delivered at all. A 28-ball 47 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup and a 20-ball 37* against Australia in Canberra exhibited the maturity Gill has been picked to deliver, but the tendency to become slow and the overall inconsistency has been worrying.
A neck injury had ruled him out for most of the Test series, and on Wednesday he was unavailable due to a toe injury. Gill has landed in Ahmedabad—where he has scored his only T20I hundred—but it is to be seen whether he gets to play or Sanju Samson gets another shot at redemption.
Jasprit Bumrah rejoining the squad after going on personal leave is good news for India, especially at a ground he calls home. With Arshdeep Singh too displaying sensible skills in the Dharamsala match, India’s bowling probably is at its strongest right now.
South Africa would be mindful of that as they brace for one more showdown in what has been a very eventful tour. They haven’t stuck to a particular eleven as part of their experimentation drive but the significance of this match could prompt them to go for more stability.
Bringing Aiden Markram back to the opening slot after the repeated failures of Reeza Hendricks could be on the cards, as would be the promotion of Dewald Brevis to No 3 on a more permanent basis.
Last but not least, South Africa would be hoping fast bowler Marco Jansen delivers one last time so that they could end this tour on a high.