First T20I against SA called off
“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 had mentioned during his pre-match press meet on Saturday.
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DURBAN: India’s desire to start the process of finding an ideal combination for the T20 World Cup 2024 suffered a minor dent as the first match against South Africa was abandoned without a ball being bowled after persistent rain here on Sunday.
In fact, even the toss did not take place. Now, the ‘Men in Blue’ are left with just five T20Is – two more against the Proteas and three games against Afghanistan at home in January – ahead of next year’s showpiece in the West Indies and the USA.
In that context, India would have liked to make a head start to its search for a perfect blend at Kingsmead but rain put paid to those hopes temporarily.
With the IPL 2024 preceding the T20 World Cup, the Indian think-tank will certainly bank on the league to identify the ideal 15 for the marquee event.
India stand-in captain Suryakumar suggested as much.
“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 had mentioned during his pre-match press meet on Saturday.
But then nothing really can supplant the confidence a player can accrue while performing well in international matches, and the weight of a good outing doubles if the touring destination is South Africa.
It also offers the management a more realistic yardstick about a player’s ability. The first-time visitors to the ‘Rainbow Nation’ such as Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Arshdeep Singh etc would have been eager to get that unique taste of cricket here.
