Photo: Online
Victory in the three-match T20 series against South Africa was confirmed in Guwahati on Sunday. So India decided to rest Virat Kohli and Lokesh Rahul in the third match of the regular season on Tuesday.
Shreyas Iyer can replace Kohli in the first eleven. Rishabh Pant or Suryakumar Yadav can open the innings with Rohit Sharma. If an additional bowler is played in Rahul's place, one of Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav will come into the starting XI. Besides, all-rounder Shahbaz can also be played instead of Rahul. Because there is no extra batter in the team. Rahul Dravid wants to do some experiments in the last match of the regular season.
The Rohits are relieved to see Kohli return to form from the Asia Cup. Concerns about Rahul's strike rate also eased in Sunday's match. With the top four in the team's batting order in rhythm, it is seen as a positive ahead of the T20 World Cup. There are plans to allow Pant and Dinesh Karthik to bat more time.
But Rohit-Dravid is thinking about bowling. Bowlers are losing rhythm especially in the last overs. Sunday's match was no exception. Concerns have increased as Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out with an injury. Harshal Patel is also not in the rhythm to recover from injury. Arshdeep Singh bowled well in the early stages but was beaten many times in the latter overs. Can't hold the pressure. Same problem with Deepak Chahar. That is why one of Siraj and Umesh is being considered for the team.
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