Team India is all set to lock horns with South Africa for the five-match T20I series. Ahead of the first match, the skipper of the home team, Suryakumar Yadav, said that his side looks good and strong, but the batsmen need to be flexible.
He stated that Shivam Dube, being an all-rounder, can come to bat at any position, similar to how he went to bat at number three in Australia.
“Dube is an all-rounder. All the batters from 3 to 7 are capable of batting at any position. For example, you might see Tilak Verma batting at 6. As you saw in Australia, Dube went in to bat at number 3. It depends on the entry point of the batter. We have to be really flexible during that. More likely, this is what the team and the squad look like. It looks good. It looks strong. So, I am very happy with it,” he said.
The skipper also stated that the preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 started after the conclusion of the previous edition. He added that a team cannot start their preparations for such a marquee event just months before its commencement.
“Preparation for the T20 World Cup had already begun after the 2024 T20 World Cup ended. You can`t just start preparing for a big tournament a month or two before it starts. It started a long way back. Since then, we have been trying new things, which have been working in our favour till now,” said the 35-year-old cricketer.
The first T20I match between Team India and South Africa is scheduled to be played on Tuesday at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. Mullanpur will host the second T20I between India and South Africa on Thursday.
The third T20I will be played at Dharamsala on Sunday, followed by the fourth on December 17 in Lucknow. Ahmedabad will host the fifth and final match of the series on December 19.
India`s squad for T20I series against South Africa: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar.
(With ANI Inputs)