India aims for right answers

DURBAN: A young Indian outfit will be asked tough questions, answers to which might not be readily available, when it faces a sturdy South African side in a three-match T20 International series starting here on Sunday.

With injured skipper Hardik Pandya out till the start of IPL, lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah taking a break and not much clarity over Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s T20 future ahead of the World Cup in June, one wouldn’t be able to read much into either success or failure of the team in South Africa.

A clearer picture about India’s core for the T20 showpiece would only emerge after a month of IPL, with form and fitness at that point being the criteria for selection.

If Rohit and Virat are picked in the playing XI, the core will suddenly become very different from the team that is now touring ‘Rainbow Nation’.

Suryakumar Yadav-led side beat Australia 4-1 on fabulous batting tracks at home but even the most partisan Indian fan would agree that there was so much less at stake in a series that was held within 72 hours of the World Cup.

Australia’s core bowling attack was rested and some of the seniors were so tired that they left for home after the third game, having spent almost nine weeks in India.

The South Africa series in that context is the last big international T20 series that India play followed by one against Afghanistan in mid-January.

Even with its pace bowling mainstays, Kagiso Rabada (rested) and Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi injured, the Proteas at home will be more than a handful.

India is carrying 17 players for the T20 series and only three of them -- Shreyas Iyer, Mukesh Kumar and Ishan Kishan are also part of the 50-over format.

Yashasvi Jaiswal has already shown that he belongs to this level and Shubman Gill is now one of the first picks across formats while Ruturaj Gaikwad after his 52-ball-100 will be that much difficult to ignore. And herein lies the problem as Ishan Kishan isn’t a great option beyond No. 4 if the troika of Jaiswal, Gill and Gaikwad bat. And at No. 4 is India’s No. 1 T20 batter and skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who is the only automatic choice as far as T20 World Cup is concerned.

Then there is the wicketkeeper’s slot where Kishan, who will have stiff fight from Jitesh Sharma, who is evolving nicely as a finisher at No. 6. There is a No. 5 slot where Shreyas, who is not exactly a slam-bang from word go but an IPL skipper, is expected to be challenged with short-pitched stuff by the likes of Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee and Andile Phehlukwayo.

In case Kishan doesn’t find a place in top four, then Jitesh is the option at No. 6.

For the likes of Ruturaj, Jaiswal, Rinku Singh and Jitesh, the extra bounce on offer at Kingsmead will pose a different sort of challenge as those with superior back-foot play will be paramount.