IND vs SA: Unless There Is A Big Change In The Conditions, It Is Going To Be The Same Team – Ashish Nehra On India's Playing XI vs South Africa In 3rd T20I

Former India pacer and Gujarat Titans head coach, Ashish Nehra, feels that the Indian team will field the same playing XI in the third T20I against South Africa unless there is a big change in conditions.

Rishabh Pant-led India lost the first two T20Is of the series while defending the total and the third T20I will be a do-or-die encounter for team India.

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The third match of the five-match T20I series between India and South Africa will be played at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, June 14.

Meanwhile, former fast bowler Ashish Nehra said that the young Madhya Pradesh pacer Avesh Khan has not bowled badly in the first two games so he shouldn’t be dropped.

“It is not like you’ve lost nine matches or something. It is just two games and its because the other team played well. So unless there is a big change in the conditions, it is going to be the same team. The other players who are sitting outside, when they get a chance to play even they will be given a run of four or five matches,” Nehra said on Cricbuzz. 

“Avesh Khan has not done too badly. He wasn’t even bowled completely (in the second T20I). So unless they want to add one more fast bowler or else if they feel two spinners are less, it is better to go with the same eleven,” he said. 

Pant was a bit late in bringing on Axar in the second T20I – Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra further said that India captain Rishabh Pant should make the better utilisation of the bowling resources he has. Nehra opined that the India captain was a bit late in giving the bowling to left-arm spinner Axar Patel in the 2nd T20I at the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack.

“It was going to be difficult (to defend 149) in the second T20I despite them taking three wickets (in the powerplay). Rishabh Pant should be looking at how the middle overs went. Harshal Patel is the kind of bowler who does the job in the death overs but Axar Patel should not be brought on so late in the match. It is not like there is a guarantee that he would have taken wickets if he was brought on earlier but Pant should be seeing if he could have done that during this match.”

“Hardik Pandya bowled one over and then Harshal bowled another. It is not like it was David Miller batting for South Africa so I can’t see any reason for not bringing on Axar Patel at the time. I am not saying the game would have gone their way for sure but there are some bowlers who can bowl at any time in a game and some who are suited to a particular period or match situation. Pant was a bit late in bringing on Axar in the second T20I.”

Also Read: IND vs SA: He Can Go For Runs As Well, But You Need To Have That X-factor – Zaheer Khan On Umran Malik’s Inclusion In The Playing XI

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