Selectors will pick Indian teams for three T20s and five ODIs
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Bengaluru: After a more than two-month hiatus from top level cricket, India’s limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his top stars will be back in the thick of things when the selectors pick the squad for the upcoming three-match T20 and five-game ODI series against South Africa starting from October 2.
Following their disastrous series loss away to Bangladesh before a win over minnows Zimbabwe with a second string squad under Ajinkya Rahane, the cream of Indian cricket will be keen to shake off the cobwebs and put on a strong show against the Proteas.
With Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin all fit and available, some of the fringe players may have to make way for the senior stars.
However, there is a slight concern regarding Shikhar Dhawan who is recuperating from fracture and much will depend on his fitness test. Test specialist Murali Vijay, who had a decent Zimbabwe tour, will be looking for another chance in the shorter format of the game.
As far as the T20s go, youngsters Kedar Jadhav and Manish Pandey could get a look-in while Gurkeerat Mann and Mayank Agarwal will also be in the selectors’ minds given their recent exploits for India ‘A’.
While off-spinner Ashwin is a certainty, Harbhajan Singh, recalled for the Bangla series, may well miss out given his lacklustre performances. Ravindra Jadeja, another of Dhoni’s trusted lieutenants in the recent past, has been off the radar in both the series and though he didn’t figure in the ‘A’ squad either, Dhoni’s pull may swing things for the all-rounder. In that scenario, it could be a toss-up for Stuart Binny to hold on his position.
In the pace bowling department, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be automatic choices though given Ishant Sharma’s sparkling show in the Sri Lanka test series, he could get a look-in. But given the fact that the South Africans are here for a long haul with four Tests to play followed by the ODI series, it may be prudent to keep Ishant Sharma fit and firing for the longer version of the series.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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