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Cricket PlayersSKY remains the best, Bumrah is always missed and more; key takeaways from India's T20I series in South Africa
India lost the second T20I but emphatically won the third to level the three-match series 1-1 against South Africa.
India managed to draw their T20I series against South Africa on Thursday with a resounding 106-run win at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. It was one of two matches that could be completed in the series, with the first one being washed out at Kingsmeade. With the Indian Premier League (IPL) set to take place before the T20 World Cup next year, this was one just three series that India get to play before the marquee ICC tournament.
The only bilateral T20I series India will play after this one before the start of the IPL and later the T20 World Cup will be against Afghanistan starting on January 11. While two of the three matches in South Africa were heavily influenced by rain, there were quite a few decisive performances for India to take away from the series. Let's take a look at some of them.
Suryakumar Yadav's T20I brilliance
Suryakumar Yadav's place in the Indian ODI squad may have been questioned time and again throughout their buildup and run through the 2023 World Cup. However, India's stand-in captain for this series, and the previous one against South Africa, has shown that his form in T20 cricket seems to be impervious to all that happens outside the format. This was the first time he was playing a T20I game in South Africa and he had previously played just one ODI in the country. He ended up being the highest scorer over the course of the two games, smacking 156 runs at a strike rate of 169.56 and scoring his fourth T20I century in the process. With India not being able to get a good opening partnership going in the two matches, SKY showed his expertise in constructing a T20 innings and pacing it perfectly without ever really going too far behind on his strike rate. He had a shaky start to his innings in the third T20I but broke the shackles by blasting three sixes and a four in the 13th over from Andile Phehlukwayo. SKY ended up falling only in the last over of the innings, having made 100 in 56 balls.
Rinku Singh is here to stay
This series has been a statement of intent from Rinku Singh. In the second T20I, he was left to reconstruct the innings with SKY after the openers fell for ducks and Tilak Varma fell off the second last ball of the powerplay. He ended up playing through the innings and scored his first T20I half-century, eventually staying unbeaten on 68 off 39. In the third, he couldn't quite put his finishing hat on after the 112-run stand between SKY and Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, he did share a 47-run stand with SKY and scored a handy 14 off 10 balls.
Kuldeep Yadav remains higher on the pecking order
Among the many conversations before the start of the series was whether India will stick with Ravi Bishnoi, who recently rose to No.1 on the T20I rankings for bowlers, or if they will go back to Kuldeep Yadav now that he is back in the squad. India stuck with the more experienced of the two and Kuldeep made a good case for himself. The Indians were blasted all around the park during the second T20I and Kuldeep was the most economical of them all, conceding 26 runs in three overs and accounting for the all-important wicket of Reeza Hendricks. The pitch at the Wanderers in the third T20I provided assistance for the spinners and Kuldeep made merry. He registered figures of 5/17 and was one of the chief architects of India's resounding victory.
India need Bumrah
Seven T20Is may be two small a sample size, let alone two, but the fast bowlers who have been on show for India thus far since the end of the ODI World Cup haven't exactly made it too difficult for Jasprit Bumrah to walk back into this squad. In the second T20I, Mukesh Kumar registered an economy of 11.33, Arshdeep Singh was pummelled at 15.50 in 2 overs and Mohammed Siraj had an economy of 9.00. They had far better outings in the third match, although Mukesh still ended up going at 10.50 in two overs. With Bumrah set to play an integral role in the T20 World Cup, it is clear that at least one of the three pacers involved in this series would miss out.
