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Abhishek Sharma And...? 3 Indian Players Who Are Likely To Fail In South Africa T20Is

Debashis Sarangi

Abhishek Sharma has been prone to inconsistency [Source: @SPORTYVISHAL/X]Abhishek Sharma has been prone to inconsistency [Source: @SPORTYVISHAL/X]

This evening, India will lock horns with South Africa in the first T20I of the four-match series at Kingsmead in Durban. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the visitors have a formidable squad filled with swashbucklers. 

Apart from skipper Suryakumar, India will be dependent on Sanju Samson, who would be keen to capitalise on his red-hot form. The explosive keeper-batter recently hammered a belligerent hundred in his previous T20I appearance against Bangladesh. 

Besides him, Hardik Pandya might also play a key role for India, as he can be the visitors' wrecker-in-chief with bat and ball. Meanwhile, there are several players who might not live up to the hype in the South Africa series, as mentioned below. 

Abhishek Sharma

The swashbuckling left-handed batter received his maiden T20I call-up during India's Zimbabwe tour following his impressive IPL stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, he has done nothing significant so far apart from a century, which he slammed against the Chevrons in his maiden series.

There's no doubt about his hard-hitting abilities; his temperament has prevented Abhishek Sharma from succeeding in international cricket. He has got starts but failed to convert them into significant scores. Also, the South African pacers will test his technique, which came under scrutiny following his poor outings against Bangladesh. In such a scenario, it won't be surprising if Abhishek fails to impress in this series. 

Varun Chakravarthy

The wily finger spinner made a remarkable comeback into India's T20I side, exhibiting his skills in the recently concluded Bangladesh series. He bamboozled the Bangladesh batters with his guile and will be expected to replicate similar success in South Africa. 

However, the pitches in South Africa generally don't offer any assistance to the spin bowlers. Also, the Proteas have an experienced middle over, comprising the likes of Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, who play spin really well. So, Varun Chakravarthy won't likely be as effective in South Africa as he was on home soil. 

Tilak Varma

Another player who might not live up to the expectations against the Proteas is Tilak Varma. The stylish southpaw hasn't played at the highest level for quite a while now. He played his last T20 International when Afghanistan toured India back in January. 

Apart from the lack of match practice, Tilak's recent form could dent his chances in South Africa. He was unimpressive as a batter in the recently concluded Emerging Asia Cup, managing 117 runs at a poor strike rate of 120.61. So, his scoring rate is something he needs to work on in order to change his fortunes and cement his place in India's T20I setup.