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With just six Twenty20 Internationals remaining to
determine their World XI before the West Indies and USA World Cup in 2019,
India’s captain for the three-match series in South Africa, Suryakumar Yadav,
isn’t overly concerned about the short game schedule. IPL 2024, which takes
place before the T20 World Cup, Suryakumar continued, will aid India’s team
management in finalising their lineup.
“I feel there are limited T20s going forward,
before the T20 World Cup, but then we play 14 league games in the IPL as
well,” Suryakumar said on the eve of the series opener against South
Africa in Durban. “And players who have been playing in these T20
internationals… they’ve played a lot of games, and they have a lot of
experience under their belt. So, we don’t think there will be an issue or any
problem in selecting the squad because everyone knows their roles really well
and responsibilities really well – [like] how to play in different
situations.”
Before the 2024 World Cup, South Africa, like India,
only has six T20 Internationals scheduled. Apart from the benefit of
participating in three Twenty20 Internationals in the Caribbean before the main
event, South Africa may also select players from the SA20, which takes place
from January 10 to February 10.
“It’s a strange one,” their captain Aiden
Markram said. “Not ideal that we have only six games [before the T20 World
Cup] but we’re fortunate that there’s still a lot of T20 cricket, in terms of
SA20 and the domestic T20 competition just after that. Hopefully, everyone can
be fit and ready to go for us when it comes down to selecting the World Cup
squad, which we will keep all our fingers crossed for. But guys will be playing
T20 cricket and ultimately we will be able to get a good gauge of what our best
squad is that we can send out for the World Cup.”
India’s new finishers, Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma,
are the centre of attention. Both hitters’ middle-order firepower has lit up
the IPL, and they recently displayed tidbits of that firepower at home against
Australia in the T20Is. They have the chance to improve their chances of being
chosen for the T20 World Cup with this tour.
“See, the number Rinku and Jitesh have been
batting at, at the IPL and for their state teams, is the same number they are
being given an opportunity here,” Suryakumar said, “And they are
being told to do the same thing they do for their states and their franchises;
[it’s] nothing different. That’s what they have done too; whenever we were in
trouble in the T20 series [against Australia], they showed a lot of character,
which was the demanded of the team. All I told them was that whatever you
think, just think of the team first and then about your personal milestones.
That will make the situation better.”