The exciting new series between two of international cricket’s most formidable teams, India and South Africa didn’t get off to a great start as the first T20 at Dharamsala was washed off because of rain. Not even a ball was bowled, much to the disappointment of the tens of thousands who had gathered there, many of the flying from as far as Bangalore and Mumbai and even London!
Never mind! We go to Mohali, Chandigarh now, where the chances of rain are minimal. So what was supposed to be a 3-match T20 series has now been reduced to a 2-match cliffhanger.
India start out as firm favorites, of course. This is especially in keeping in mind the inexperienced side South Africa has sent out. There is no AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn, both having retired from cricket. What’s worse – even Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla do not feature in this side, both having opted out of the T20s so that they can be fit for the Tests.
So we have a very young team led by the highly talented Quinton de Kock. Quinton won’t have it easy – not only is he his team’s most important batsman, the anchor on which the entire batting line-up is built on, he is also the wicketkeeper. To be a captain as well is really asking a lot of the young man.
He can count on only David Miller and Kagiso Rabada for support – These two are literally the only experienced players in the side apart from the new captain himself. Miller has been around for years without doing anything much, Kagiso is of course one of the world’s best fast bowlers.
However, Quinton de Kock has always had an excellent record against India. Until recently his average against India was in the high 90s. He has played many seasons in the IPL and this is pretty much his second home. If anyone can feel comfortable playing against the Indian attack, it has to be the young South African captain.
His biggest problem will be getting a match winning performance out of the other inexperienced players in his team. We know there are many talented young cricketers coming out of South Africa. Anrich Nortje is one to watch out – he is a fast bowler who has impressed one and all in the domestic circuit. He will want to do well in the two T20s, especially because this could be his ticket to the IPL.
Apart from that, it is hard to tell where the threat from South Africa is going to come from. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get too easy for the Indians – would be such a shame to have a one-sided contest.
India Squad:
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Rahul Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini
South Africa Squad:
Quinton de Kock (c), Rassie van der Dussen (vc), Temba Bavuma, Junior Dala, Bjorn Fortuin, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, George Linde.
Prediction: Easy win for India.
Watch India play South Africa at 7 pm on Wednesday, live from Mohali.
