IND v SA 2019: 5 Indian players who would look to establish themselves in the SA T20I series

India will play three T20Is against South Africa starting from September 15.

India will be gearing up to playing South Africa in the three-match T20I series starting with the first match in Dharamsala on September 15, Sunday. India has started their post-World Cup assignments on a high with an overall whitewash of West Indies in their own backyard.

India’s home season is an important one for them as they prepare to build a new-look team for the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia and hence we have seen most of the regulars being rested for the West Indies and South Africa T20I series. This has given some new prospects getting exposure and chances to shine on the world stage and aim to cement their place in the Indian team for the world event.

Therefore, Team COC presents 5 Indian players looking to cement their places in the Indian team in the South Africa T20I series.

Here are the 5 Indian players who would look to establish themselves in the SA T20I series

DEEPAK CHAHAR

Deepak Chahar has made himself stand out with the ability to move the ball at the start of the innings with the new ball and usually takes wickets in the powerplay overs because of this. Chahar has done amazingly well for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and till now his best performance came against West Indies in Providence T20I when he ripped their top order to bits with figures of 3/4 in 3 overs.

He will be looking to keep his place for the World Cup when the regulars like Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar make their comeback into the team. He has the ‘IT’ factor that India seems to be missing and he is handy with the bat lower down the order, good for some lusty hits.

KHALEEL AHMED
Khaleel Ahmed has one thing going for him that he is a left-handed fast bowler, something that Indian bowling team is missing from its arsenal. There was a time when Men in Blue had hoards of such bowlers, but now he is the only bowler at the moment who provides that variety in the bowling attack.

Ahmed bowls at decently fast speed and moves the ball in the air and provides a different angle to the opposition batsmen given that all the other fast bowlers India has are right-handed. He missed out on a World Cup berth narrowly but now has the chance to cement himself as the part of playing Xi for the T20 World Cup in Australia, where he has performed well earlier this year.

WASHINGTON SUNDAR

Washington Sundar is a genuine all-rounder who bowls off-spin as an opening bowler and can bat anywhere in the batting order. Sundar has a T20 century to his name in the TNPL as an opener and otherwise, he has shown some hitting prowess in the limited opportunities he has gotten so far.

As a bowler, he has been amazing and has a Man of the Series award to his name in the Nidahas Trophy 2018 in Sri Lanka. With the Indian team looking for multi-purpose players going into the ICC T20 World Cup 2020; Sundar is the perfect foil for team management who want a spinner who can bowl upfront and bat at 7 or 8 and provide some lusty blows.

NAVDEEP SAINI

Navdeep Saini made a big splash on his India debut in the T20I match against West Indies, picking two wickets in an over and winning the Man of the Match award. He has genuine pace and stamina to bowl four overs on a trot and gets wickets. His attitude is aggressive and is always on the lookout for wickets.

Saini has shown that he can trouble the batsmen with bounce he generates with his wonderful action. Not the one to shy away from bouncing the batsmen out in T20Is and this South Africa T20I series provides him with a good chance to show selectors that he has the spark they are looking for the World Cup.

SHREYAS IYER

Shreyas Iyer has been given the confidence by the coach as the new candidate for the no.4 spot in the batting lineup, which has been like a revolving door for the last 3 years or so. After Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Dinesh Karthik, and Rishabh Pant, Iyer is the newest batsman to own that place and so far, he has done well in the ODI series against the Windies.

Iyer is no stranger to T20 cricket, having captained Delhi Capitals in the IPL for the last two seasons and has played some scintillating knocks. He is a technically perfect batsman with the ability to play the innovative shots that are the norm in the format and this SA T20I series will give him a platform to showcase his abilities in front of the home crowd. This will also give him a chance to cement his place in the Indian team for the foreseeable future.