INDIA: After a blazing victory against Australia, India will look forward to taking on the Proteas in the first T20I, which will be held on September 28, 2022. Take a look at the players who will be appearing or missing the upcoming T20 match to see if India has solved their squad balance problem.
Deepak Hooda won’t play in the three-game T20I series between South Africa and India that starts on Wednesday. The 27-year-old all-rounder has not travelled with the team to Thiruvananthapuram, where the opening game is scheduled to take place, because of a back injury.
Mohammed Shami, who was supposed to rejoin the India team this month, is also sitting out. The quick bowler has not yet recovered from the ailment after testing positive for COVID-19 a few days ago.
Meanwhile, Shahbaz Ahmed and Shreyas Iyer have been roped in, but it is still unclear if they are the replacements or just standby.
A fresh source also claims that Rajat Patidar, a batsman for Madhya Pradesh and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), is reportedly close to receiving his first call-up to the Indian national team for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa after excelling in this year’s IPL 2022 and the most recent India A-New Zealand series.
Despite having only made his international debut in 2022, Hooda has been continuous in India’s team. His rapid runs and a few overs with occasional off-spin were considered advantages for balancing the XI.
He was demoted to the bench when India had access to all of their first-choice players, as they did in their recent T20I series victory over Australia.
A second-string ODI team is anticipated to face South Africa in the three-match series, even though India will play the Temba Bavuma-led Proteas at full strength in the T20 Internationals. This is so that on October 4, immediately following the conclusion of the T20I series, the Indian T20I team can depart for Australia.
On October 6, in Thiruvananthapuram, October 9, in Ranchi, and October 11, in Delhi, the three one-day internationals will be contested.
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