cricket

Updated: Sep 12, 2019 11:28 IST

With the T20 World Cup being the next focus, the Indian team would want to kickstart their preparations with the upcoming series against South Africa. Head coach Ravi Shastri has already said that he wants new and young faces to come in and make their mark, especially in the shortest format and hence, the 3-match T20I series will be closely watched.

Here in this article, we take a look at 3 players who will be under the scanner - they have shown promise in their previous appearances and will now have to nail their spots in the T20 side.

ALSO READ: Passing marks from 16.1 to 17? All you need to know about Yo-Yo test

Navdeep Saini

The fast-bowler made a bumper start to his T20I career - in the 3 matches played so far, the fast-bowler has taken 5 wickets and conceded runs at an economy rate of 7.09. He was mighty impressive against West Indies, especially with the new ball. However, he needs to add more skills to his arsenal as Kohli would want to test him out even in the death overs.

Krunal Pandya

Ever since his debut, Krunal has made all the right noises and has established himself as India’s all-rounder in the shortest format. His temperament has been impressive and Kohli has used him in crunch situations. However, barring the odd innings, he needs to be more consistent with the bat and this will be the test for him in the upcoming series.

ALSO READ: Krunal Pandya ‘getting into the groove’ ahead of T20I series against South Africa

Rishabh Pant

Virat Kohli has spoken highly of Rishabh Pant and the selection committee too has identified him as India’s primary wicket-keeper across all the formats. However, he has only flattered to deceive in his short career so far - 302 runs in 17 innings at an average of 21.57 and with a strike rate of 121 does not do justice to his potential. With Ishan Kishan churning out consistent runs in the domestic set-up, Pant needs to find more consistency and hence, this series will be a big test for him.