Stand-in captain Shikhar Dhawan stated on Wednesday that all of the T20 World Cup reserve players competing in the South Africa ODI series would like to utilize the three matches to establish themselves as candidates for the starting lineup.
Deepak Chahar and Mohammed Siraj may face off in the series since Jasprit Bumrah has already been ruled out. Mohammed Siraj may join the stand-by list if Mohammed Shami is unable to become match-fit before October 15 and Deepak Chahar is not.
The Indian squad has named Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, and Chahar as standbys who will travel to Australia for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as backups.
“Of course, it is very important because the more matches they (standby players) are going to play, they will be in a better groove and a better mindset. If the boys perform well, then obviously the confidence will help them. Who knows they might get a chance so they can look at this series as preparation,” Dhawan said on the eve of the first game.
“Series will be an opportunity for the youngsters”: Shikhar Dhawan
Rahul Tripathi, Rajat Patidar, Mukesh Kumar, and Shahbaz Ahmed will all play in the one-day internationals against the Proteas. In the same vein, Dhawan believes that the series will provide young people with an outlet and aid in their growth.
“If you look at the performance of our youngsters, the transition that happened that shows their confidence.”
Dhawan continued by mentioning how talented and competitive the South African team is. Even though India won the last T20I series 2-1, the ODI championship will be a close race.
“South Africa has a good team. Winning and losing is part of the game but it is important to learn from defeats,” he said.
“Both the teams made plenty of runs in the T20 series. It depends on the pitch, dew factor, and plenty of other factors” Shikhar Dhawan Said.
The 1st ODI match between India and South Africa will be played on 6th October at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.
