The 5th T20I between India and South Africa raises three major concerns for Rishabh Pant’s team. INDIA vs. SOUTH AFRICA: On Sunday, India plays South Africa in the fifth and final T20I at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru, with the series on the line.
The 5th T20I between India and South Africa raises three major concerns for the Rishabh Pant-led team. On Sunday, India will play South Africa in the last T20I in Bengaluru.
1. Hardik Pandya’s bowling woes haven’t gone away
Hardik Pandya’s bowling has been scrutinised since his return from injury. In the fourth T20I, he shared the new ball duties with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and responded with figures of 0/12 in one over. Pandya has not recorded a wicket in the present series and is the most expensive bowler with an economy of 12.20 RPO. Pandya last bowled in a T20I match in July 2021, against Sri Lanka in Colombo (RPS). Pandya’s poor bowling in T20Is has been going on for the past two years. In the format, he has had 8 wicketless innings out of 11 since 2020. Pandya has the third-worst bowling strike rate (42.0) among 106 Test bowlers who have bowled 25 or more overs in T20Is. Pandya, on the other hand, claimed eight wickets in the IPL 2022 from 30.3 overs over ten innings.
2. The Bengaluru record of Quinton de Kock
Quinton de Kock of South Africa has a strong T20 record in Bengaluru, with 463 runs from 11 games at an average of 46.30. He has a 147.45 strike rate and has one century and three fifties to his credit. Yuzvendra Chahal of India has 57 wickets in T20s at the venue. In T20Is, spinners have a particular edge in Bengaluru. Spinners have a strike rate of 20.2 in Bengaluru, which is higher than pacers (SR 21). De Kock, on the other hand, has only scored 36 runs in two games in the current series. Chahal, on the other hand, has claimed six wickets in the series’ first four games.
3. History is in favour of South Africa
The latest T20I match played at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium occurred in September 2019, when India faced South Africa. In the match, India batted first and only managed to score 134/9 in 20 overs. De Kock scored 79 not out off 52 balls as the Proteas chased down the mark in 16.5 overs. From 2012 to 2019, Bengaluru hosted a total of seven Twenty20 Internationals. Teams batting first have won just twice, while teams pursuing have won five times.
4. One good point for team India
Pant reaffirmed India’s new T20I philosophy, in which batsmen attack the ball hard from the start, and is hell-bent on giving his all as a captain and middle-order batsman.
“We’re attempting to discover new methods to win games; we’re attempting to play in a different manner. We will make mistakes, but we are on the right track. As a player and captain, all I can think about is giving it my all. It’s up to you to judge how I’m doing as a player and captain; all I can do is give it my all every time I step onto the pitch and stay positive “I’m wandering.”
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