Fresh off a commanding 4-1 win over Australia, the India Cricket Team is gearing up for the India vs South Africa series. Ahead of the IND vs SA 1st T20I, Rahul Dravid and Co face a big selection headache. One of the key selection dilemna will be for the keeper’s spot. Ishan Kishan and Jitesh Sharma will be keen to grab the spot and make it their own for the 3-match T20I series.
Recently, Ishan Kishan has been a dependable workhorse for the Men in Blue. The Southpaw played 2 matches in the ODI World Cup and then featured in the first 3 matches of the IND vs AUS T20I series. However, in the last 2 matches of the series, Jitesh Sharma was given his chance to shine while a fatigued Kishan got much-needed rest.
But now the dynamics have changed. With the T20 World Cup fast approaching, it is now make or break for both Kishan and Jitesh to prove their worth.
In the first three matches, Ishan Kishan was brilliant with the bat at Number 3. He notched up back-to-back fifties (58, 52) but was dismissed for a duck in the third game. Jitesh Sharma was no different. Coming down the order he donned the role of a finisher and went on to slam 35 of 19, and 24 of 16 in the last two games of the series.
With the T20 World Cup fast approaching, it is extremely crucial for both the players to prove their worth for the Indian Team.
India’s squad for 3 T20Is: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Deepak Chahar.
India tour of South Africa Schedule:
1st T20I, Durban – 10th December
2nd T20I, Gqeberha – 12th December
3rd T20I, Johannesburg – 14th December
1st ODI, Johannesburg – 17th December
2nd ODI, Gqeberha – 19th December
3rd ODI, Paarl – 21st December
1st Test, Centurion – 26-30 December
2nd Test, Cape Town – 3-7 January (2024)