The Indian team is gearing up for the five-match T20I series against South Africa at home. The first T20I will take place at the Arun Jaitely Stadium in Delhi on June 9, 2022. Opening batter KL Rahul will lead the Indian squad in the series.
With the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 around the corner, the Indian team will be hoping to zero in on their squad. The recent Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season has thrown up some interesting names in consideration. The likes of Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya are making a comeback to the Indian team. Meanwhile, the Umran Malik has earned his maiden India call-up for the T20I series.
18-member #TeamIndia squad for the upcoming five-match Paytm T20I home series against South Africa.#INDvSA @Paytm pic.twitter.com/tK90uEcMov
— BCCI (@BCCI) May 22, 2022
As the Indian selectors have rested the senior players, there is an opportunity for others to step up. In this article, we take a look at three Indian players who need to perform well in the T20I series to claim a stake in India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2022 squad.
3 Indian Players who need to perform well in the IND vs SA T20I series to stake a claim in the Indian team for the ICC T20 World Cup
#3 Dinesh Karthik
Wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik is making a comeback to the Indian T20I squad. He last played a T20I in 2019 against Australia at Bengaluru. The veteran cricketer earned a call-up for the T20I series against South Africa on the back of his brilliant performance in the Indian Premier League 2022 season.
Dinesh Karthik played the finisher’s role to perfection for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the tournament. Batting lower down the order, he slammed 330 runs in sixteen innings at an average of 55 and a strike rate of 183.33.
The 37-year-old was a pillar for the Faf Du Plessis-led team in the batting order this Indian Premier League season. He needs to replicate his performance for India in the T20I series, to make a strong case for himself for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 squad.
#2 Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav was struggling to make an impact in the last couple of years. However, in the recent Indian Premier League 2022 season, the spinner did well to revive his career in the limited-overs format. He repaid the faith shown by the Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant and the franchise.
The left-arm spinner finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker for the team. In fourteen matches, he took twenty-one wickets at an average of 19.95. His best figures of 14/4 came against the Kolkata Knight Riders this season.
Kuldeep Yadav has already proved what he is capable of at the International level in the past. With his career getting a second wind in the IPL, the spinner needs to do well in the upcoming series against South Africa.
#1 Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya hasn’t played international cricket since the ICC T20 World Cup last year. His career so far has been ridden with injuries, hampering his bowling abilities. However, the all-rounder came into his own in the Indian Premier League 2022 season.
Leading the Gujarat Titans to the championship title, Hardik slammed 487 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 131.27. He also took eight wickets in the tournament and pulled off a brilliant bowling performance in the finals. The right-arm medium pacer, took three wickets conceding only 17 runs to lead his team to victory in the finals.
With Hardik Pandya back in the T20I squad, the Indian team will be hoping that the all-rounder continues his all-round brilliant. He will be keen to do well and seal his spot in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Indian team.
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