The Indian team is all set to take on South Africa in the third T20I on Tuesday, June 14 at the VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The hosts are in a much-win situation after losing the first two T20I matches.
The Indian team has rested their key players such as the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah for the series. They were dealt with a blow before the start of the series, as KL Rahul suffered an injury and got ruled out of the series. In his absence, wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant has been given the leadership duties.
So far, India hasn’t managed to perform together as a unit. They have performed well in some situations, but have failed to keep up the pressure. With the series on the line, the Indian team is expected to make some changes to their playing XI.
Vizag – we are here! 👍 👍
See you in the Stadium tomorrow. 👏 👏#TeamIndia | #INDvSA | @Paytm pic.twitter.com/fQlamvOyHn
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 13, 2022
In this article, we take a look at three changes that the Indian team can make for the third T20I against South Africa.
#3 Ravi Bishnoi
Spinner Ravi Bishnoi may replace Axar Patel in the Indian team for the third T20I against South Africa. Axar has not been able to make much of an impact in the two T20Is he has played so far. In five overs, he has conceded 59 runs at an economy rate of 11.80, with a wicket to his name.
The Indian team might want to give Ravi Bishnoi an opportunity in place of Axar. Bishnoi made his T20I debut earlier this year against West Indies. He took two wickets for 17 runs in the match and earned the Player of the Match award. The youngster has played just 4 T20Is for India so far and has as many wickets.
#2 Arshdeep Singh
Young Arshdeep Singh has made a name for himself as the ‘death-overs’ specialist in the last few years. His ability to nail yorkers consistently in the death overs has troubled the batters. The pacer did not have a lot of wickets in the Indian Premier League, but was effective.
The youngster might replace Avesh Khan in the playing XI for the third T20I. Avesh hasn’t been able to pick up a wicket in the two T20Is so far. He has conceded 52 runs at an economy rate of 7.42. With the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 around the corner, India may want to try Arshdeep Singh at the International level in this pressure situation.
#1 Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer is likely to replace Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top of the order in the playing XI. KL Rahul, who was named in the team as the skipper, suffered an injury and was ruled out of the series. This gave Ruturaj Gaikwad an opportunity to open the innings along with Ishan Kishan. However, he has not been able to grab it with both hands.
In two matches, Ruturaj Gaikwad has managed just 24 runs at an average of 12 and a strike rate of 126.31. Due to his poor run, Venkatesh Iyer might get a chance in playing XI. Venkatesh has played nine T20I so far for India, scoring 133 runs at an average of 33.25 and a strike rate of 162.19. He will be keen to get on the ground and make an impact for India in the series.
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