First T20 between India and South Africa
IND Vs SA: Shastri selects India’s starting XI for the first T20I; Karthik is left out.
Prior to India’s first T20I match against South Africa on Thursday, former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri selected his starting XI for the series opener, which would be contested at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi (June 9). Notably, Shastri has made a handful of notable exclusions, one of which is somewhat shocking.
Shastri predicts that veteran Dinesh Karthik and spinner Venkatesh Iyer would miss out, while Umran Malik will make his debut. The cricketer-turned-commentator has Ishan Kishan at No 3 and Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad as openers.
Karthik performed admirably as a finisher for RCB, scoring 330 runs at an average of 55.00 in 16 games. In the recently finished IPL 2022, he scored one half-century for his team.
“I believe they will go with the guys they want to see first — the Rahuls and Ruturaj Gaikwads – and perhaps they will open.” “They will probably give Ishan (Kishan) a break in this game or bat him at three.”
“If you bat him (Ishan) at three, Shreyas (Iyer) would be at No. 4, (Rishabh) Pant will be at No. 5, and Hardik (Pandya) will be at No. 6,” he explained.
Shastri’s bowling selections included Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Harshal Patel. He believes that the race between Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik would be a toss-up.
However, India coach Rahul Dravid stated on Tuesday that it’s still unclear how much playing time will be given to players like Malik and Arshdeep, who received their first national team call-ups after taking 22 and 10 wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings, respectively, in IPL 2022.
“With a vast roster of 18 players, it is impossible to include everyone in the starting lineup. I am someone who believes in giving players time to adjust to their new roles “During a press conference, Dravid stated.
Ravi Shastri’s XI: KL Rahul, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh/Umran Malik, Harshal Patel.
Also Read: 5 Indian Players For Whom The T20Is with South Africa Could Be Critical