After the first India vs South Africa T20I in Durban was washed out due to rain, the second one at Gqeberha went down the drain largely due to ineffective bowling by India, who despite scoring 180, could not defend 154 in 15 overs. Kuldeep Yadav gave runs at an economy of 8.70, followed by Mohammad Siraj at 9.00, Ravindra Jadeja at 9.90, Mukesh Kumar at 11.30, and Arshdeep Singh at 15.50.
Indian Bowling a Concern
This is not just the story for one odd T20I but has been repeated over the last few matches, where Indian bowlers have been giving too many runs. While the ones who don’t play T20Is for India regularly have been decent, the regular ones have been under the pump.
Starting with Arshdeep Singh, in the last five matches, his economy rate has always been 10 or more. Those matches have fetched him only 4 wickets. Mukesh, who is looked at as a long-term solution in T20Is, has also been taken for plenty of runs in the last five T20Is. Despite picking up six wickets during this time, he leaked 43 & 42 runs against the Aussies in the last two T20Is.
The economy rates of these bowlers, as discussed have been a major cause of worry for the Indian team. They would not shy away from looking at the likes of Washington Sundar, and world no.1 Ravi Bishnoi, who have career economy rates of 7.17 and 7.15.
Having said that, the bowlers could be in the firing line once again, with the Wanderers pitch expected to be loaded with runs. In the 32 T20Is played here, the average first-inning score is 173.
India to Bank on Batsmen Again
On the contrary, the batsmen in T20Is have been on a roll. Minus one failure, Yashavi Jaiswal would look to unleash himself on the South Africa bowlers. In the series against Australia, he scored a fifty as well which came at a strike rate of 212. Suryakumar Yadav, as usual, has been exceptional. In the last match too, he scored 56, at a strike rate of 155. Throughout the Australia series as well, he looked in fine nick, scoring a fifty, and also chipping in with 39 in the third T20I.
As far as scoring runs consistently and at a good pace is concerned, newbie Rinku Singh seems to be ticking all the boxes. Coming lower down the order, he gives an impetus to the team for a big score. His 22 from 14, 31 from 9, and 46 from 29 against Australia gives ample proof, that he’s here to stay.
Plus, the arrival of Tilak Varma to form, is a bonus for India. In his last two T20Is, scores of 31, and 29 have reinstilled the faith in him.
India vs South Africa, Series on the Line
Given the form and the conditions, it looks like India will have to depend on the batsmen to deliver the goods. If that doesn’t happen India might be on the verge of another series loss in 2023, away from home. Earlier in the year, they had lost 2-3 to the West Indies. This also becomes important since only four T20Is remain for India now, before they head for the T20 World Cup.
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