As India move forward to the Super 8 stage, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has shared his insights on the upcoming clash against South Africa. He believes the defending champions have largely settled on their best playing XI and are unlikely to make changes when they face South Africa in their Super 8 opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
In their final group-stage match against the Netherlands, India made two changes to the lineup. Arshdeep Singh replaced spinner Kuldeep Yadav, while Axar Patel was rested to give all-rounder Washington Sundar some game time. According to Shastri, the only selection dilemma for India will be whether to go with Axar or Sundar.
“I think it will be pretty much the same side because you’ve got depth, you’ve got all bases covered, you’ve got options, you need options,” Shastri told The ICC Review.
“When there’s dew around, you need that extra bowling option. Whether it’s a Shivam Dube, whether it’s Hardik bowling his full quota of overs, whether it’s Tilak Varma who might roll his arm for an over or two, you need those options. I don’t think they’ll tinker with the side. I think the team that played in the last game was a good side,” he added.
Shastri also backed Abhishek Sharma, who is yet to get going in the tournament. The opener has registered three ducks so far, but Shastri believes the No. 1 T20I batter is due for runs in the knockout stages.
“I think the positive is that in every game, there’s been someone who stood up. It has been Ishan Kishan, sometimes Surya, in the first game. Tilak Varma has played his part. He’s got off to a start, but I still think the best of him is still to come. I look at it as a positive that Abhishek Sharma has three zeros. So save your best for the important periods in the tournament. Teams will be a little worried that he’s not got runs,” he said.
The former India coach also praised South Africa’s self-belief and expects a closely fought contest between the two sides.
“There’s a lot of self-belief and you know it’s going to be a cracking contest because South Africa are no pushovers, they’ll compete for sure. And it’s a repeat of the World Cup final of 2024, so everyone’s looking forward to it,” Shastri said.
Both India and South Africa enter the Super 8 clash after finishing on top of their respective groups in the first round.