With honours shared after two matches of the T20I series, world champions India will look to address their batting woes and land the next punch on Wednesday when they take on their hosts South Africa in the third match of the series in Centurion.
Sanju Samson‘s century led India’s 61-run win in the opening game, and the Proteas came back to make it 1-1 in the low-scoring match in Gqeberha, where India lost in a close finish despite Varun Chakravarthy’s five-wicket spell.
That leaves captain Suryakumar Yadav & Co to make up for the batting failure in the last match, starting with the inconsistent top-order.
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The pitch at the SuperSport is expected to assist pace and bounce, which will leave the Indian batsmen to straighten the creases in their technique, while the bowlers can expect themselves to have a good day at the office.
In the second T20I, Indian batsmen faced significant challenges against South Africa’s fast bowlers, managing only 124 for six, with conditions at Centurion being quite similar.
The opening position presents a significant challenge, particularly regarding Abhishek Sharma, whose continued poor performance has become a critical issue. He urgently needs to deliver a strong performance to retain his position before the team considers alternative arrangements.
Currently, the team management could consider positioning Tilak Varma to open alongside Sanju Samson, whilst introducing Ramandeep Singh in the middle order to enhance the batting strength.
The senior players, including captain Suryakumar Yadav, Pandya and Rinku Singh, share responsibility for India’s batting difficulties.
Suryakumar and Rinku have displayed only brief moments of their capabilities in this series, whilst Pandya’s 39 runs in the second match came at a notably slow pace, requiring 45 deliveries. He required 28 balls to score his first boundary.
These three batsmen need to contribute more substantially to ensure a competitive total.
The fast bowlers, Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan, showed varying performances across matches. Arshdeep recorded figures of 1 for 25 at Durban, but conceded 1 for 41 in the following match.
Arshdeep’s expensive third and fourth overs, costing 28 runs – including four boundaries in one over to Tristan Stubbs – shifted the momentum towards the Proteas.
They will aim to improve their performance, unless the team decides to try alternatives like Yash Dayal or Vyshak Vijaykumar.
Varun Chakravarthy’s remarkable maiden five-wicket haul in the last match, coupled with Ravi Bishnoi’s impressive performances across the previous two fixtures, have been exceptional. The spin-bowling duo will aim to replicate their success in the third match to help the team take lead in the series.
South Africa’s batting lineup faces comparable challenges, as their experienced players — captain Aiden Markram, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen — have struggled to make significant impacts in the ongoing series.
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The hosts relied on contributions from emerging talents Tristan Stubbs and Gerald Coetzee to secure victory in the second match.
A win for either team will put them in a situation from where they can’t lose the series heading into the fourth and final T20I on November 15 in Johannesburg.
