South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first in their first Super 8 contest against India, in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Suryakumar Yadav went in with the same XI from the Netherlands match, where vice-captain Axar Patel was left out, and Washington Sundar played again.
No Axar Patel, Washi in
The rationale behind that decision could be that Washington is a great bowling option in the powerplay and can bat lower down the order. With Axar, one feels that he is wasted below number 6.
“The pitch looks quite similar to the previous black soil surface we played on, just one strip away. Not too much change. We’re happy to bowl first. It’s very harsh on Axar Patel, but we’re going with the same team – just a tactical decision, so no changes from the last game,” the skipper said on the toss.
Nonetheless, it is still a very strong XI by Team India, who have wicket-takers like Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Arshdeep Singh in the lineup. In batting, it will be interesting to see how Abhishek Sharma approaches this game after scoring three back-to-back ducks. The pressure will be on Tilak Varma as well, who has been rather slow at the moment. His strike rate has been under scrutiny, and he has to prove himself.
Surya, meanwhile, had hinted that there might be a batting promotion for Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, if India don’t end up losing early wickets.
India Playing XI vs South Africa
Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy
