The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 is done and dusted, and once again, the focus shifts back to international cricket. 2022 is another crucial year with another T20 World Cup in Australia later this year, so the competition for places is well and truly on.
In their build-up towards the tournament, India take on South Africa in a five-match T20I series at home. The likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested given the workload management, so this will be a chance for youngsters to shine, while one certain veteran in Dinesh Karthik makes a comeback to the national side.
Let’s take a look at five India players to watch for in the T20Is, starting on Thursday:
Umran Malik
Known for his raw pace that caught the attention of many during the recent edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Jammu and Kashmir bowler Umran Malik can be a threat to the opposition. Umran Malik was one of the three players retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) ahead of IPL 2022, and he showed his worth, collecting 22 wickets in 14 matches despite a disappointing season fir SRH altogether.
Umran stunned one and all with his record-breaking speed of 157 kph, which was later broken by Gujarat Titans’ Lockie Ferguson in the final against Rajasthan Royals, when he clocked a speed of 157.3 kph.
The 27-year-old’s best figures of 5/25 came against GT, and even won Player of the Match award despite his SRH team going down by five wickets.
At the end of the 2022 season of the IPL, Umran was named Emerging Player of the Season, and not only did he relish playing in the IPL, but also his performances have earned him a maiden Team India call-up.
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya, the Gujarat Titans skipper, is coming off a successful season in the IPL, where, he not only led GT, who were considered far from favourites before the IPL, to their maiden title in debut season, but also Hardik himself produced some fine performances with both bat and ball.
For a long time now, Hardik’s bowling has been the talk of the town and providing balance for Team India when Hardik is bowling has been discussed often, and he gave potential signs of what’s to come from him when he delivered with the ball this season.
Hardik collected eight wickets from 15 games this season in the IPL, while also notching up 487 runs from 15 games.
Three of these wickets came against RR in the final, with Hardik finishing with figures of 3/17.
Hardik Pandya has struggled with back injuries in the past, that has kept him out from bowling, but he will be keen to put those struggles behind and put up his best effort against the Proteas.
Dinesh Karthik
They say age is just a number and wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has proved just that. Karthik had not donned the Team India jersey since India’s ODI World Cup semi-final defeat to New Zealand in 2019, but that is all set to change.
At the age of 37, Karthik was recalled to the Team India squad for the South Africa T20Is on the back of a productive season with the bat for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Karthik was acquired by RCB for Rs 5.5 crore, and he produced some stunning finishes in crucial situations, aggregating 330 runs from 16 games at a strike-rate of 183.33.
India will be looking to utilise Karthik’s experience when it comes to finishing off games, so do expect Karthik to provide a helping hand to the hosts.
Arshdeep Singh
Another uncapped Indian pacer, 23-year-old Arshdeep Singh comes into the Indian squad with the ability to unleash wide yorkers. Arshdeep, who played for Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the recently-concluded IPL, is a reliable bowler at the death overs and with the absence of premier pacers like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, the Men in Blue could turn to Arshdeep for assistance.
Although PBKS endured another season of mixed fortunes, with lack of consistently winning hurting them, Arshdeep managed to scalp 10 wickets from 14 games at an economy rate of 7.70. He registered his best figures of 3/37 against DC this season.
Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal was the Purple Cap winner of the IPL this season, scalping 27 wickets from 17 matches at an economy rate of 7.75. Chahal was bought by Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2022, and RCB’s loss was clearly RR’s gain.
It’s no wonder that Chahal can create magic with the ball. He scalped a hat-trick against KKR in April, and went onto take a couple of more wickets, finishing with figures of 5/40.
To complete his five-wicket haul, Chahal removed Shivam Mabi and Pat Cummins in the process.
Yuzvendra Chahal, coming off a productive IPL season, will lead the Indian spin attack and the Proteas will be wary of the threat he possesses come the T20Is.