Advertisement
The five-match T20 series between India and South Africa begins on July 9. Chasing India’s target of 212 in the first match of the series in Delhi, South Africa won by 7 wickets to take a 1-0 lead early on. India, on the other hand, were bowled out for 211 in the last 10 overs and lost the first match on home soil.
India will next battle it out for the second match of the series on June 12. The South Africa series is seen as an opportunity to find qualified players to play in the T20 World Cup to be held in Australia next October. So it is expected that the Indian team management will give a chance to different players in the upcoming matches.
– Advertisement –
DK Comeback:
Earlier in the series, Tamil Nadu senior star Dinesh Karthik batted brilliantly for the Bangalore team in the IPL 2022 series, batting brilliantly over other finishers like MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya and Pollard. In most of the matches in which star top order batsmen like Virat Kohli, Duplessis and Glenn Maxwell stumbled, he was the last to bat in the middle order, amassing stunning runs and conceding at least 4-5.
He scored 330 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 183.33 and won the “Super Striker” award for his highest strike rate over any other batsman like Russell or Livingston. He was looking for an opportunity to play for the Indian team 3 years later as a reward for his hard work in batting so fervently with the ambition of playing for India in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup.
– Advertisement –
Ponting comment:
In the first match in Delhi, he had the opportunity to face only 2 balls in the last over. And with Rishabh Pund and Ishant Kishan in high demand, the 36-year-old is likely to feature in the T20 World Cup only if he excels in the series. Former Australia captain and legend Ricky Ponting has said it would be “surprising and shocking” if Dinesh Karthik did not play in the World Cup in his country.
He spoke about this on the ICC website as follows. “I will definitely keep him. I would pick him at the 4th or 5th batting spot. The way he finished the tournament for the Bangalore team this year was on a different level. When you watch the IPL series you will think that a good player should win 2, 3 or 4 matches in a season. If one does it better it definitely means that he has returned to good form. In that sense, Dinesh had a bigger impact than any other player on the Bangalore team. “
– Advertisement –
“Glenn Maxwell only got off to a great start this year around Virat Kohli. Du Plessis also stumbled. But Dinesh Karthik played very well for Bangalore throughout the series. So I would be surprised if he is not selected in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup. ”
Also read: What is wrong with Rishabh Pund doing so? He’s a good captain – backed by Graeme Smith
Though Dinesh Karthik may not get a big chance in this series, India will play in the 2D20 series against Ireland later this month and against England in July. It is safe to say that he has a 100% chance of making it to the T20 World Cup if he excels.
Advertisement