KL Rahul & Kuldeep Yadav are ruled out of the series due to injury, now Rishabh Pant to lead the team
Stand-in skipper KL Rahul has been ruled out of the next series against South Africa owing to a right groin injury, which could be one of the most important setbacks for the Men in Blue. Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant will be leading his country for the first time, and the 24-year-old will be hoping he spearheads India to a world-record win in front of his home fans. The Men in Blue are on a 12-match winning streak, and if they manage to win the series opener on Thursday evening, then they will become the first side to claim 13 wins on the trot in this format.
He isn’t the only one who has been ruled out of the series; spinner Kuldeep Yadav has also been ruled out after suffering a blow to his right hand during the nets. Rahul has been ruled out of the series, due to which, Team India would be led by deputy vice-captain Rishabh Pant against the Proteas, according to a BCCI source.
This year, Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik have both performed admirably for their respective IPL organizations. The former has been one of Punjab Kings’ top pacers, particularly in the death overs, when he has picked up wickets at regular intervals. Arshdeep has 40 wickets at an economy rate of 8.42 in 36 IPL matches, including one five-wicket haul. Umran, from Jammu and Kashmir, has been on fire, frequently averaging 150 kilometers per hour.
KL Rahul has suffered a major blow, since this was his chance to avenge his loss against South Africa last year. This could, however, be an opportunity for Rishabh Pant, who now has a chance to compete for the much-debated captaincy position for the Men in Blue. Hardik Pandya, who led Gujarat to victory in the most recent season of the Indian Premier League, will now serve as Pant’s deputy.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah have all been rested ahead of the series, and with Rahul’s withdrawal from the squad might leave a gaping hole in India’s batting order, with Suryakumar Yadav already ruled out due to injury. However, Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad would be expected to open for the national team against the Proteas, which could be an opportunity for them.
Starting on Thursday, June 9 (Thursday), the young guns will face a formidable South African team led by Temba Bavuma at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
India’s T20I squad: Rishabh Pant (Captain)(wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik
South Africa’s squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen.
