IND vs SA: Predicted India playing 11 for the third T20I against South Africa
After a crushing 51-run defeat in the second T20I against South Africa, the Indian team will look to bounce back in the third T20I at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Stadium in Dharamshala on Sunday, December 14th. In the second T20I in Mullanpur, the Indian bowlers proved too expensive, allowing South Africa to post 213 runs while batting first. In response, the Indian team was all out for just 162 runs. Aside from Tilak Varma's 62 off 35 balls, no other batsman could sustain a consistent performance, leading to an easy victory for South Africa. The team management made significant changes to the batting order, which India suffered from in this defeat.
However, the biggest problem was the poor form of captain Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill, who have been struggling to find their form over the past few months. The Indian team management may make some changes to the playing XI for the third T20I. Arshdeep Singh, Shubman Gill, and even Suryakumar Yadav haven't been in their prime, and the management may rest one or two of them.
Cricket fans are demanding that Sanju Samson play as an opener in place of Shubman Gill. This wish may be fulfilled in the next match. Harshit Rana could replace Arshdeep Singh. Kuldeep Yadav could also replace Axar Patel in the playing XI.
However, it's possible that the Indian team will enter the third match unchanged and rely on the same players. The Indian team's players must remain confident. If there are no changes to the team, Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma could once again be seen as openers. Following this, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel, and Jitesh Sharma could be seen in the batting order depending on the situation.
At this point, the management needs to rotate players based on the circumstances. The philosophy that anyone can bat anywhere except the opening slot has proven detrimental so far. In just a few days, India will defend its ICC T20 World Cup title at home. And such tactics could prove costly for the team.
Just a few months ago, the Indian team seemed to be the best T20I team. They looked stronger in every department, but now, everything has changed. The team needs to return to its old patterns. At one point, Tilak Verma was scoring a lot of runs at 3, while Suryakumar Yadav was batting brilliantly at 4. But with the inclusion of Shubman Gill, India's top order has been disrupted. Sanju Samson had previously lost his opening position, and now, he has also lost his place in the playing XI. It remains to be seen what kind of planning the Indian team will use in the upcoming cricket matches.
Predicted India Playing 11
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill/ Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav ©, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakrawarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
