Published: Oct 31, 2022, 08:22 AM (IST)
Edited: Oct 31, 2022, 11:21 AM (IST)
Perth: Team India suffered a 5-wicket loss against Temba Bavuma-led South Africa. This was the first match Team India lost in the tournament. However, they managed to maintain their spot in the top 2 of Group 2 as their net run rate was better than Bangladesh’s.
South Africa maintained their winning streak and topped group 2 and now they only need to win one of their remaining two matches to ensure their qualification for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2022.
The major reason behind the loss of the Men in Blue was the batting collapse and top-order failure. No batter apart from in-form Suryakumar Yadav could even manage to cross the 15 runs mark. Surya’s crucial 68 runs of 40 balls allowed team India a fighting chance.
The former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh during an interview with Sports Tak advised some changes that Rohit Sharma and company would need to take in their matches ahead in the super 12. He talked about how Team should bring in Rishabh Pant in place of KL Rahul.
He said “They may have to take some tough calls, the team has to think about it going forward. KL Rahul is a great player, we all know that he is a match-winner. But if he is struggling with his form like this, I think you should bring in Rishabh Pant.”
“Karthik looks injured, I don’t know what his status is. If he is not, Rishabh Pant can open the innings with Rohit Sharma. You get a left-right combination like that. You can also bring in Deepak Hooda and he can even bowl a few overs,” He added.
The member of the 2011 World Cup winning team also suggested the team bring in Yuzi Chahal for Ravi Ashwin, Chahal is yet to play a single match in the tournament. He said “I also feel they should bring in Yuzvendra Chahal in place of Ashwin. He is a bowler who takes wickets. You don’t mind giving away runs as long as you take 2-3 wickets. Chahal is a big match-winner and he is among the highest-ranked T20 bowlers in the world.”
“They might be going with experience and that’s why they may be selecting Ashwin. Their team also had a lot of left-handers and they may have looked at that factor as well. But I feel that if you have a good bowler, he will bowl well regardless of whether it is a left-hander or right-hander on strike. This is just about the thought process. Chahal has made his reputation by taking wickets, he has proven he is a big-match winner in these smaller formats. I don’t think there is a better leg-spinner than him. It is a mistake to not let him play and if it was in my hands, I wouldn’t have let this mistake happen in the first place because I would have included him in the squad,” He added.
