IND vs SA: 'India Don't Want To Rely On Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma And KL Rahul' : Ex-Men In Green Skipper Lists Difference Between India & Pakistan In White-ball Cricket

The Indian side is presently playing South Africa in a five-match T20I series at home. Team India is led by rookie wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant in the absence of experienced players such as skipper Rohit Sharma, elite hitters Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, great bowler Jasprit Bumrah, and ace all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.

After losing the first two matches of the tightly contested tight series, India has won the third T20I under the 24-year-leadership. old’s 

In the third game, India used a 97-run opening partnership between Ruturaj Gaikwad (57) and Ishan Kishan (54) to score a total of 179 runs for the loss of five wickets, which they subsequently easily defended to keep the series alive. 

Rashid Latif Hails Indian Team Management

India’s success in the absence of key players has been lauded, and a former Pakistani captain has hailed the Indian team management for putting together a great bench that is more than capable of stepping up and delivering in the absence of top players. 

Former Pakistan captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Rashid Latif remarked that the Asian heavyweights aren’t completely reliant on the top three of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli. 

“They’re building a team. They want to take their team to a very high level. All these matches are like hurdles. They want to bring some change to their cricket. They don’t want to rely on Virat, Rohit, and KL Rahul, like how we keep on relying on our players,” Latif said on his official YouTube channel. 

“The way Gaikwad plays, the way Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant play, and the way Hardik Pandya plays, these are players who can change the game on their own.

Shreyas Iyer, too, takes on the wrist spinners really well. They want to go one level higher than the previous generation. They want to take the average strike-rate up to 140 from 130,” added the former skipper.  

In the absence of veteran players, the youth have stepped up to score enough runs to make the opposition’s life tough. India were held to 148 runs in the Cuttack T20I after establishing a record total of 211 runs in the first game. They did, however, come back in the third game, scoring close to 180 runs. 

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