After a fascinating IPL season that has found a new winner in the Gujarat Titans, the focus has now shifted to the bi-lateral T20s, with India hosting South Africa in a series of five games. Along expected lines, the Indian team has changed massively, and coach Rahul Dravid – with captain KL Rahul – will have a fair amount of work to do in terms of picking the right personnel.
Hardik Pandya's return to full fitness and form augurs well for India, as does the comeback of veteran Dinesh Karthik. The pace attack wears a new look, and the duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal are also back in the mix. While these tried and tested players have returned to the setup, thanks to their recent performances in the shortest format, the absence of the likes of Sanju Samson and Prithvi Shaw has raised questions.
The South Africa series represents a chance for the Indian team to start ironing out the chinks in the armour ahead of the 2022 T20I World Cup in Australia during the months of October and November.
Hardik Pandya Returns, Stronger & Better
Being one of the most important members of the Indian white-ball setup, Hardik's inability to bowl due to his fitness issues had resulted in him being excluded from the team. The all-rounder went back to the drawing board, got criticised for not playing domestic cricket, and returned to the IPL this year, looking as dangerous and complete a player as ever.
The all-rounder turned on the style in the glitzy tournament, bowling with venom and taking up more responsibility in terms of batting, as he moved up the order to no. 4. Hardik's good show with the bat and the fact that he can bowl in the region of 140kmph are good news for the Indian team; he will be one of the first names to be on the team sheet.
For coach Rahul Dravid, the other aspect of note is how Hardik fared as captain in the IPL. With no Rohit Sharma in the squad, one can expect Hardik to play a bigger decision-making role alongside KL Rahul.
If Hardik can continue his good form with the Indian team, the management will breathe a big sigh of relief as the all-rounder will help solve a lot of selection headaches.
In the IPL this season, Hardik finished with 487 runs, the most in this franchise, and 8 wickets, with three of them coming in a brilliant spell in the final against the Rajasthan Royals.
Kuldeep Yadav & Yuzvendra Chahal Back Together
While the return to full fitness for Hardik is a big deal, what's also got the Indian cricket fans very excited is the return to form of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, once considered "un-droppable" from the team, especially in white-ball cricket. However, their poor form had changed that and both of them were sidelined in the previous T20 World Cup.
Chahal and Kuldeep have had a fantastic IPL this season, with the right-arm spinner taking home the Purple Cap. The left-arm spinner wasn't far behind and finished the season with 21 wickets and in the fifth spot among the highest wicket-takers.
Chahal's 27 wickets were crucial in getting Rajasthan Royals to the final of the IPL this year. Throughout the tournament, it was also quite visible that his confidence was back – the ball was being given air and the batters were left bamboozled more often.
The two spinners bring to the table not only some very good form currently but also a whole lot of experience. At a time when the team is in transition with a change in management and leadership, the combination is likely to be a shot in the arm. The duo is, by far, India's best spinners, and the team hopes they can keep up the good form.
They haven't played together since 2019 June, and when they've bowled in tandem, India have won more often than not. The duo had been snubbed in the 2021 T20 World Cup, in which India failed to progress from the group stage.
Young Pace Attack
On one hand, the Indian squad for the T20s against South Africa has a few seniors returning to the fold, while on the other, there is a new-look pace attack led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Seniors such as Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah have been given some much-needed rest after the IPL, as the selection committee has brought in the likes of Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, and Umran Malik.
With Bhuvi set to take on the role of the senior pacer, one can expect the management to rotate the others. The focus will be on Arshdeep and Umran for their abilities in the death overs and the raw pace, respectively.
Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan, both of whom are also inexperienced, have the chance to further their credentials ahead of the World Cup. Umran's pace and Arshdeep's accuracy in the death overs have been among the big talking points this IPL season, and now they're on the big stage, in the spotlight.
This is India's next generation of pacers, and if they can continue the momentum and form the national side, it only adds to the problem of plenty, which isn't a bad thing for the team.
The Gaps in Batting
Seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been rested and the enforcer Suryakumar Yadav is out with an injury. Given what's gone down in the IPL, you'd expect to see a Sanju Samson in the mix, but he isn't. Neither is Prithvi Shaw, who has the ability to score at a very good pace in the powerplay.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, and Shreyas Iyer have not had the best time in the IPL season gone by, which points to a lack of momentum. While KL Rahul has scored plenty of runs yet again, his slow pace has hurt his side in the IPL, and it will be interesting to see the kind of role he takes up.
And then there is the troika of Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, and Dinesh Karthik – god help any bowling attack if they put the foot on the pedal! There's also Venkatesh Iyer and Deepak Hooda, with the KKR man being in a terrible run of form, while Lucknow's middle-order batter was impressive.
While the form has been a little poor for some of the players, the change of roles from the IPL to the Indian team is bound to make its presence felt. How much will that change the fortunes of the players in question, and how well can they cover up the absence of Suryakumar Yadav?
India’s T20I squad: KL Rahul (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain)(wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)