Umran Malik, Mohsin, And Dinesh Karthik Are Strong Contenders
Umran Malik, Mohsin, and Dinesh Karthik are contenders for selection for the T20 series against South Africa.
Rising stars like Umran Malik and Mohsin Khan may be rewarded for their IPL performances when the Indian team is selected for the home T20I series against South Africa on Sunday.
At the same time, experienced Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik are likely to return to the T20 team.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya has also shown his form and fitness by doing well in the IPL, which is sure to include him in the team for the five-match series starting June 9.
He hasn’t played for India since last year’s T20 World Cup. Pandya is finally bowling regularly which was crucial to his comeback effort in the national team.
With the almost two-month-long IPL and Test team leaving England on June 15, players playing all formats, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah, may be rested for the home series.
A similar team is expected to be picked for the two T20Is to be held in Ireland at the end of June. If this happens then the responsibility of captaincy can fall on the shoulders of either Dhawan or Hardik.
Dhawan led the side in Sri Lanka last year while Pandya was impressed as captain in his debut season for Gujarat Titans. The IPL continues to attract future star players and this season has been no different.
Umran impressed everyone with his pace for Sunrisers Hyderabad while Mohsin Khan was impressed with his pace and accurate bowling.
As his Lucknow Supergiants captain Lokesh Rahul said that the left-arm pacer will always be in demand in top-class cricket, Mohsin could get his big break on Sunday.
Another left-arm pacer in the race is Arshdeep Singh who again did well for Punjab Kings.
In the batting department, Tilak Verma did quite well in his very first IPL season and could also be considered for the South Africa series, much praise for the batsman.
Deepak Hooda and Venkatesh Iyer were tried in the middle order in the West Indies and Sri Lanka series.
It remains to be seen whether either of them retains their place in the team or whether the selectors will go for the IPL form.
Dinesh Karthik has made a strong claim for the role of ‘finisher’ for Royal Challengers Bangalore and he is also expected to return (multiple times) to the Indian team.
Rahul Tevatia can also be given a chance at this place, he led Gujarat to victory in difficult conditions this season.
It will be early days for the T20 World Cup but the team management should get a suggestion to decide on their core group players from the South Africa series to the ICC tournament to be held in Australia.
