for the challenge in South Africa. India will play three T20I matches to begin the all-format tour on Sunday at Kingsmead in Durban.
After winning a five-match T20I series against Australia 4-1, Team India is now prepared for the challenge in South Africa. India will play three T20I matches to begin the all-format tour on Sunday at Kings Mead in Durban.
With a team effort led by star batsman Suryakumar Yadav, the hosts defeated the Australians with massive victories, and they will look to repeat the heroics against South Africa.
Star batsman Virat Kohli and regular captain Rohit Sharma have been rested for the white-ball series and will only play in the two Test matches. Suryakumar Yadav will be the squad captain in the T20Is.
The young Indian team will face a formidable challenge from South Africa in the T20I series, but Captain Suryakumar Yadav stated on Saturday that the players should be motivated by the idea of putting up a fantastic performance outside of their “comfort zone”.
“When you go outside India, you’re always out of your comfort zone and when you do really well out of your comfort zone, it makes a lot of noise and that really encourages the boys. So, really looking forward to the series,”
said Suryakumar during his pre-match press conference.
Suryakumar supported his young team to show character in the face of a daunting opposition.
“The guys whom I am watching right now in the T20s are very expressive, very fearless. I have that attitude. They aren’t afraid of failure. Whatever happens, if they do good or if they don’t get runs on that given day, their attitude remains the same.
“I think that balance is really important and I have just told them just enjoy this format, just be yourself,”
said Suryakumar.
To support his argument about the young cricketers, he cited Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma, who were crucial to the home series victory over Australia.
“Rinku and Jitesh so far have the opportunity to bat in the same slot (for India) as their state or IPL teams. I have told them to do what they have been doing for those teams. They did exactly that (against Australia), showing some character in some tough situations,”
he noted.
These young cricketers will undoubtedly be put to the test by the bounce and pace of South African wickets, but their captain is confident they will rise to the challenge.
“I think the key to success in playing on such wickets will be to be you. We’ve played on all fast tracks in India and everyone is really equipped for it.
“And regarding the strokes for the batsmen, they’ve already battered on these kinds of wickets and I’m sure they will enjoy playing in South Africa,”
he said.
Ahead of the T20 World Cup in 2024, India will only have six more T20Is, although Suryakumar downplayed the minimal number factor.
“There are only limited T20s before the T20 WC. But then we play 14 league games in the IPL and players have already played a lot of games and they have a lot of experience under their belt.
“So, I don’t think there’ll be an issue when selecting the squad (for WC) because everyone knows their role really well,”
he explained.
After Hardik Pandya’s injury, Suryakumar was promoted to captain of the India T20I team, and the Mumbai player said that he loved the experience.
“From a personal point of view, it (captaincy) is a big responsibility. I really enjoyed it in the last series (against Australia). I would love to do the same (winning) in the coming series in South Africa.
“From the larger perspective, I feel we’ll see what comes ahead but for now let’s focus on the series.”
The 33-year-old acknowledged that while their one-day World Cup final loss to Australia was sad, their series victory over the same opponents—albeit in a different format—boosted their morale.
“It was a little bit of disappointment (WC final defeat), which will be difficult to move on from. But as I always say the show must go on. But after that, there was a nice T20 series against Australia. We really enjoyed it.
“It was a different format. It (the series win) was a big boost for the boys,”
he signed off.
Due to personal reasons, senior seamer Deepak Chahar has not yet joined the squad and will not be included in the playing eleven for Sunday’s first T20 International match between South Africa and India in Durban.
It is recognized that Chahar needs an immediate break from sports and is currently at home due to a close family member’s health issues.
“Deepak hasn’t yet joined the team in Durban as a close family member needed urgent hospitalization. He had taken permission for a break as he needed to attend to his family members. He may or may not join the squad depending on his family member’s health in the coming days,”
a senior BCCI official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
In T20Is, South Africa and India have faced off 24 times. South Africa has won 10 of the matches, but India has won 13 of them. One match, however, produced no results.
The last five T20I matches have seen South Africa win on two occasions and India on two occasions. India has scored the maximum (237) and lowest (28), respectively, in these five games.
Squads
South Africa: David Miller, Reeza Hendricks, Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markram (c), Andile Phehlukwayo, Marco Jansen, Donovan Ferreira (wk), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Matthew Breetzke (wk), Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Lizaad Williams, Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger, Ottniel Baartman and Tabraiz Shamsi
India: Rinku Singh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar and Ravi Bishnoi