So, Rohit Sharma and India have pouched one more T20I bilateral series at home. This time they have beaten South Africa by 2-1, which happened for the first time at home against Proteas.
But, what are the things to look at? Obviously, the death bowling. This has been a problem for many months now. India also doesn't have the luxury of Jasprit Bumrah in Australia.
So what are the options there? Bhuvneshwar, Arshdeep, Harshal and Hardik. But who will replace Bumrah?
Shami or Siraj or Umesh or Deepak Chahar? For now, Deepak Chahar looks the better option as he can deliver both with new ball and old ball, besides scoring a few runs with the bat.
But the thing is that Bhuvi, though having a lot of experience, couldn't execute in the Asia Cup and also against Australia. Arshdeep and Harshal weren't at their best at death in the recently played matches.
India have leaked runs in the previous two T20I matches, but one may say the pitches were belters. However, the bowler has to execute the plans and try to concede as less as possible.
And the same goes for South Africa as well. Atleast they bowled better compared to India, at least in this game.
Batting depth of India is a positive from this despite getting bundled out. For Proteas, de Kock, Miller, and Rossouw are back amongst runs while the quest for runs continues for the skipper, Temba Bavuma. With the consistent Reeza Hendricks sitting out waiting for the opportunity, it is a wake-up call for the Proteas skipper!
So, with the World Cup coming, these are the things to be kept in mind for the team management!
For now, it is me, AkshayaKrishna Polya, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator, Ninaad Dixit, who, alongside our scorer/analyst Chandan Kr Singh, brought you all the live action from this run fest! Until next time, it is goodbye!
Rohit Sharma receives the trophy, and the party begins at Indore!
Rohit Sharma (India Skipper): "Yeah, look, as a team, we said at the beginning that no matter what the result is, there is room for improvement. We have seen in the last few series there is something to learn for. Of course, talking about concerns, Surya's form is the one (haha). Our death bowling is a major concern.
It has been a challenging couple of series playing against two top-quality teams. We will sit and discuss how we can do better against such quality teams. It will always be difficult to play against such teams. We need to learn every game. We are still a work-in-progress team.
In Australia, we get bouncy pitches, and we need to adapt to those. As you know, out of our 15-member squad, only 7-8 have played in Australia. We will play a couple of practice games against Western Australia and also the ICC warm-up games. We will like to adapt there quickly. We need to understand our combinations too. Bumrah obviously a big miss. Not sure who will replace him. We will take a call once we reach Australia."
Suryakumar Yadav: "I didn't check the stats before 2019 but later, it was a demand of the game [on hitting 50 sixes this year]. My friends send me my stats, and it is in the back of my mind.
I think the thought process was the same, I wanted to enjoy it as DK was batting, so I had to take a step back. DK needed some batting time in this series, and the way he batted my number 4 spot is in trouble (laughs). Australia will be a really good challenge, and I am looking forward to it."
Suryakumar Yadav is the PLAYER OF THE SERIES!
Rilee Rossouw: "It feels really good. I mean, every cricketer goes through it. Lucky for me that I played really well. No, it happened during the discussion in the middle with QDK. We picked our bowlers.
I am happy with the way I went with the business. I am glad to contribute to the winning side. The chat was about trusting the abilities. We know how good we are. I am happy with the way me and de Kock batted tonight."
Player of the Match: Rilee Rossouw
Game Changer of the Match: Quinton de Kock
Strongest Performer of the Match: David Miller
Temba Bavuma (South Africa Skipper): "A win like this is always good for confidence. Today was more about clinical performances, the guys stood out with the bat and ball and were brilliant in the field.
We just weren't good in the first game, lack of preparation and awareness. In the second game we had our plans but we fell short. Today was much clearer on the field, the intent was lot clinical today.
It is important for us [ODI series], we need the points to qualify for the World cup. We will play with a fresh energy. We will keep working for the T20 World Cup in Australia."