Indian team is hosting South Africa for a series of 3 T20s and 3 ODI matches. The men in blue have clinched the T20 series by 2-1. However, they are trailing in the ODI series by 0-1. Sanju Samson’s heroics went in vain as the team lost the opening game after falling short of 9 runs in the chase.
The game was reduced to 40 sides per over owing to rain disruptions. Batting first, the duo of Miller and Klaasen put South Africa on top. They set a target of 250 for the Indian team. The skipper, Shikhar, along with Gill, opened the chase for Team India. Gill lost his wicket in the 3rd over. Ruturaj Gaikwad came in at number 3. However, he looked uncomfortable and fell with just 19 runs off 42 deliveries. Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson tried hard at the end, but time ran out for them. The men in blue finished with a score of 240.
Indian team has a lot of options in the kitty for the remaining matches. Let’s see how they can formate the middle order in three different ways.
1. Tripathi, Iyer, Ishan, Samson
The first and ideal combination would be Rahul Tripathi, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, and Sanju Samson.
Tripathi received a second call-up for this series. He has been impressive in the domestic circuit and the IPL as well. It’s time that he got a game. He is a perfect fit at number 3. Iyer performed beautifully in the first ODI at number 4.
There are a total of four openers in the Indian team. Ishan is one of them. However, in a few instances in the past, Ishan has played down the order and made an impact. He was decent in the previous game as well. Sanju was magnificent in the first ODI. He scored 86 off 63 deliveries and nearly got the team home. Had he got a few more deliveries, he would have crossed the finish line.
2. Gaikwad, Iyer, Ishan, Sanju
The second ideal combination would be Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, and Sanju Samson.
Indian team went ahead with this combination in the first game. Except for Ruturaj, everyone else showed decent form. Gaikwad is a full-time opener. But looking at the combination, he was pushed down the order. Ruturaj looked extremely unsettled. It might be unfair to judge him based on just one game, but he is unlikely to get his desired position in the future and will have to learn to adjust and adapt. With experience and adequate game time, he can be a good fit at number 3.
3. Ishan, Iyer, Sanju, Shahbaz
The third ideal combination for the Indian team would be Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, and Shahbaz Ahmed.
The one thing Indian team lacked in the first ODI was a proper all-rounder at number 7. Post Sanju, the tail started too early for Indian team. The team has an all-rounder in the mix in the form of Shahbaz Ahmed. He may have started as a full-time off-spinner, but over a while, he has played some exceptional knocks in the IPL. Ahmed was highly impressive in IPL 2022. He is the perfect choice for the all-rounder position and can provide much-needed depth to the lineup.
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