IND vs SA | BCCI unlikely to make too many changes to the T20I squad
The 15th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is in full flow. Like every season, performances of both the Indian internationals and those who are on the fringe are being closely scrutinized by one and all.
While the senior trio of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah have had a poor season by their very high standards, the performances of the likes of Umran Malik and Dinesh Karthik have turned heads.
Former cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar have called for the inclusion of Umran in the national team because he bowls at a breathtaking pace and is skiddy. Meanwhile, Dinesh Karthik has already expressed his desire to represent the country again.
Karthik has proved to be the finisher of the season thus far. He has consistently taken the Royal Challengers Bangalore out of tricky situations and has been their lone warrior this season.
Following the culmination of the 15th season, Team India will lock horns with South Africa in a five-match T20I series between June 09-19 before they embark on a month-long tour of Europe.
So, will the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee make significant changes to the T20I set-up for the South African series and reward fringe players because of their IPL exploits?
According to a report published in Cricbuzz, the selection committee isn't likely to make too many changes to the squad as they want to give players whom they tried during the series against Sri Lanka and the West Indies earlier this year a longer rope.
It is understood that the selectors are mighty impressed with the improvement that right-arm pacer Prasidh Krishna has shown, and he might be in line for a T20I debut against the Proteas.
The make-up of the squad for the South African series will be done keeping in mind the white-ball squads that will feature during the T20I series against England and then in the West Indies in the month of July and August.
The selectors might still instill a few fresh faces in the squad, and Umran Malik and Dinesh Karthik seem to be frontrunners as far as earning a spot is concerned. However, it will also depend on the thought process of the captain-coach duo of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid.
Much has been made about Virat's poor form in the ongoing IPL, but the legendary cricketer is unlikely to be overlooked unless he decides to rest.
The T20I series will commence at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on June 09.
 "Yash Mittal")
