As per the recent reports, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma will be rested for the T20I series against South Africa. Along with him, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli will also be rested for the series. Kohli, who is going through the worst phase of his cricketing career will be given the much-needed break amidst various opinions coming in from various experts. It is understood that Shikhar Dhawan and Hardik Pandya are in line to lead India in the 5-match T20I series against South Africa and the subsequent 2-match series against Ireland.
Shikhar Dhawan and Hardik Pandya seen as potential skippers for the time being
Hardik Pandya has impressed everyone with his captaincy for the Gujarat Titans this season. With rarely any expert giving his team a chance before the start of the season, Hardik silenced the critics by leading GT to become the first team to qualify for the playoffs. Apart from Hardik, Shikhar Dhawan, too, stands a chance to lead India in the forthcoming series. The 36-year-old veteran led India against Sri Lanka last year in the absence of regulars including Rohit and Virat.
According to a senior source from the BCCI, the board wants the senior players to have rest for close to a month before coming in fresh for the all-important tour of England. Also, the board wants to try out a few young bowlers like Arshdeep Singh, Mohsin Khan and Umran Malik in the next 7 T20Is. Naturally, all of them might not get a chance, but surely at least one newcomer will get a place in the squad this summer.
As reported earlier, Dinesh Karthik might find himself back in the mix after his blistering performances in the IPL for RCB. Dinesh has set the world on fire with his magnificent finishing skills this season. However, since nothing is official, too much can’t be said about any freshman’s inclusion. The squad for the SA series will be picked on May 22, the day the league matches of IPL 2022 end.
In the batting department, the players who played against Sri Lanka are expected to retain their spot irrespective of their forms in the IPL. Suryakumar Yadav’s injury will be carefully monitored and his comeback won’t be rushed.
