A lot at stake as India begin final phase of T20 World Cup preparations in South Africa

If it seems as if it was only last Sunday that India were playing a Twenty20 International against Australia in Bengaluru, that’s because they were. Exactly a week on, the exercise to firm up the T20I set-up ahead of the World Cup in North America in June will spill over to another continent when Suryakumar Yadav’s men run into South Africa in the latter’s backyard.

Kingsmead in Durban will be the venue for the first of three T20Is; Sunday (December 10) will mark the beginning of the final phase of preparation for the big bash, with only three more games against Afghanistan – at home in mid-January – on the anvil.

Allow Suryakumar to settle into captaincy role

At the risk of sounding horribly repetitive, India haven’t won an ICC crown since 2013, a World Cup since 2011 and the T20 World Cup since the inaugural edition in 2007. Rahul Dravid’s extension as head coach for an unspecified period – insiders say for six months, till the end of the T20 World Cup – is a step towards ending that drought. Both as a reward for masterminding the splendid run in the 50-over World Cup and in the interests of constancy and stability, the BCCI embarked on a mission to convince the former skipper to continue for the immediate future. One hopes the same line of thinking persists when it comes to captaincy and the playing group.

One of the big talking points is whether Rohit Sharma will front up in the US and the Caribbean. The Mumbaikar hasn’t played a T20I since India’s ten-wicket hammering at the hands of England in the semifinal of the World Cup in Adelaide in November 2022. That was also Virat Kohli’s last 20-over game for the country. Whether one, or both, will and should be considered at this late stage is debatable. The focus, especially in T20s, should be forward-looking, particularly given that even with these stalwarts in the ranks, India haven’t tasted ultimate success in World Cups for so long now.

Had he not done his ankle in the 50-over World Cup game against Bangladesh in Pune on October 19, Hardik Pandya would have been the obvious candidate to spearhead India’s charge in June. What was initially perceived as a minor injury has snowballed into a more serious one; there is no clarity on exactly when the all-rounder will return to action, though indications are that it won’t be until the start of the IPL, sometime in the middle of March. India can ill afford to wait for Pandya to be available for selection to button down their captain. The prudent course of action will be to allow Suryakumar, who led the team to a 4-1 rout of Australia in his first assignment, to settle into the role and stamp his brand of leadership on what should be ‘his team’.

Ishan or Jitesh?

There is a logjam at the top of the batting tree that will be the first point of order the think-tank must address. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad have done their chances no harm, but at best, only one of them can figure in the playing XI, what with Shubman Gill returning to take his rightful place. Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar lend class and experience below the openers, while it will be impossible to overlook the credentials of Rinku Singh, fast establishing himself as a nerveless, formidable finisher. What of Ishan Kishan, then? Or Jitesh Sharma? Both wicketkeepers are fabulous stroke-makers; Ishan has been devastating at the top of the order, Jitesh is more at home in the middle order and, like Rinku, can smite the ball from the off. The duo did little wrong against the Aussies, so it will be interesting to see in what direction the team management leans.

Tilak Varma, the effervescent left-hander, lurks in the wings but he too is more at home in the top order, which is where Rohit and Kohli will slot in if they are considered for selection. Given the plethora of youthful resources in the upper half, the focus must be on Nos. 5, 6 and 7 – possibly Rinku, Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja when India are at full strength. That the last two are potential four-over bowlers means India can go in with six full-time bowlers without compromising on batting firepower. Pandya might be out of commission for the time being, but he will definitely be uppermost in the minds of the decision-makers because when he is fit and available, he is too invaluable an asset to overlook. Whichever way Dravid and Suryakumar lean in South Africa over the next week will be an insurance, an exercise with the worst-case scenario in mind – such as, what if Pandya is not in the World Cup mix.

India’s T20 spin stocks are reassuring. Jadeja and the returning Kuldeep Yadav bring experience and guile, with Ravi Bishnoi looming as the X-factor. Back in favour after a year in the wilderness, the bustling leg-spinner was the Player of the Series against Australia with nine wickets from five matches. Axar Patel, who formed a potent tandem with Bishnoi which in the end proved the difference between the sides, has been left out to accommodate Jadeja, but alongside Washington Sundar, he provides all-round options that are non-negotiable when it comes to the 20-over format.

Pace attack

Sometimes, as India have found out to their detriment, to be able to fall back on so many options might appear a massive luxury, but it comes with attendant indecision. With so few matches left before the World Cup, it’s vitally important to zero in on the core group, while making allowances for some to return at a later stage, among them Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and maybe Mohammed Siraj. It’s on the pace front that India must return to their established stars, because there isn’t the same incisiveness in the support pack spearheaded by Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan and Prasidh Krishna. That India had to go back to Deepak Chahar against Australia testifies to the failure of Gen Next to step up to the fast-bowling plate. Fortunately, that shouldn’t be a decisive factor in the immediate future.

This is a series whose result will be almost immaterial. Yes, success breeds success and victory will do wonders for feel-good, but it’s the greater objectives and the larger picture that will be foremost on the minds of Dravid and Suryakumar.