The India Cricket Team is ready to face the Proteas. Aiming to prepare the best for the T20 World Cup, the Men in Blue will now have a tough job in choosing the designated finisher for the team. Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, and Jitesh Sharma are the three candidates fighting for the lone spot in the Team for the IND vs SA 1st T20I.
The usual suspects of the Men in Blue return to the squad after getting a much-needed break after the ODI World Cup. Naturally, there are bound to be selection headaches in the India Playing XI.
Who to Choose?
The equation is simple – 3 candidates and 1 spot. Be it Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, or Jitesh Sharma, each of the trio has shown that they can pack the punches when needed. But with the T20 World Cup fast approaching, it is of utmost importance that Rahul Dravid picks his preferred player for the designated role.
Rinku Singh – Rinku Singh has risen through the ranks. His sensational hitting for KKR in IPL 2023 is remembered by one and all. Banking on his performances he got his spot in the Asian Games before finally making his debut for the Men in Blue. Rinku has proved himself to be a dependable finisher who can help finish the innings as has been evident in the recently concluded IND vs AUS T20I series.
Tilak Varma – The young southpaw is a destructive batter. Be it at number 4 or down the order he can fill any spot and execute it to perfection. Despite playing only 3 T20I matches for the IND vs AUS series, he has put forward his case as a strong contender who can play a vital role for the Men in Blue.
Jitesh Sharma – The firey keeper is not only challenging Ishan Kishan for a spot behind the stumps, but his adept batting has forced him to be in contention to fight with Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh for the designated finisher’s role. 35 of 19, and 24 of 16 in the last two games of the IND vs AUS series proves that he is ready to prove it against the formidable Proteas.
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.
