There are a number of interesting stories that can be related to the India vs South Africa T20I series. In this article, we’ll discuss how Virat Kohli’s marriage could affect his cricket, why South Africa’s bowling attack is led by Morne Morkel, and whether Hardik Pandya will captain India in the first T20I. In addition, we’ll discuss the importance of RT-PCR testing before the T20I series.
Virat Kohli’s marriage affects his game
Virat Kohli’s marriage is being blamed for his poor form. The Indian captain was spotted in Tuscany, Italy with his wife, Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, before the Sri Lanka series. The couple has a daughter together. While his marriage did not affect his performance on the field, some have speculated that it has affected his mental state. Here are some reasons why it might be the case.
Shoaib Akhtar, who plays in the Legends Premier League in Dubai, claimed that Kohli’s marriage may have affected his performance. The Indian cricketer claims that marriage comes with additional responsibilities, from the partner and children to the captaincy. The marriage pressure may have affected Kohli’s performance. If the captaincy and marriage were not in his head, he would have focused his entire energy on his game.
Pakistan’s legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar believes that Kohli should have married after his cricket career. He claims that Kohli is under immense pressure on the field whenever he comes out to bat. His marriage pressure is also affecting his performance, with the result that he is yet to make a triple-digit score. Furthermore, he has yet to win an ICC trophy as captain.
Pakistani bowling great Shoaib Akhtar also believes that Kohli’s marriage might have affected his game. Shoaib says that he would not have married if he had been in Kohli’s position. Moreover, he never supported Kohli as captain, saying that he should focus on his batting instead of his marriage. In addition, he said he would have preferred to play cricket in the absence of his wife.
Morne Morkel is key to South Africa’s bowling attack
While Morkel will have to play in all three Tests against India, the South Africans should not overlook him at all. During the first Test, he took 25 wickets in 16 matches and was awarded the Purple Cap for being the best wicket-taker. He also took four wickets for the Delhi Daredevils during the 2016 IPL. Morkel hails from an Afrikaner family and is the youngest of three children of Albert and Mariana Morkel. The 27-year-old proposed to his wife Roz Kelly in October 2013 and they married in December 2014, and they have two children.
The former South Africa pacer has hailed Shami as a “fine-tuned engine” for the South African bowling attack against India. The left-arm has taken over 200 wickets in the longest format and is making life difficult for the South African batters. A few more wickets and a batting order revivals will be necessary to advance to the semi-finals.
After the Test series, South Africa lost the first two games of the series, but the fast bowlers helped them make a strong comeback and win the match against India. They finished the third test on 362 and 341 while India posted 166/3. In the ODI series, the Proteas won the series 3-2. Morne Morkel is a key part of South Africa’s bowling attack against India.
Although South Africa has plenty of bowling options, there aren’t enough Test cricketers to ensure that they have enough depth to field a strong bowling attack. Dale Steyn, AB de Villiers, and Vernon Philander all have limited experience, so the South Africans will rely heavily on Morne Morkel. In addition to Morkel, South Africa also have Duanne Olivier and Hashim Amla returning. However, Anrich Nortje was out with a hip injury.
Hardik Pandya is likely to lead India in the first T20I
The Board of Control for Cricket in India is set to announce the squad for the five-match T20I series against South Africa. The five-match series will start on June 9 and will be played in South Africa’s home country. India will be without several key players who are expected to be rested. Hardik Pandya is likely to lead the side, and he has played well for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022.
The India team has a lot to gain from the performance of Hardik Pandya. The batting order needs some reinforcements at the top of the order. Rohit Sharma has a lot of options, and Pandya will be a huge help in this department. Besides, the inexperienced Rohit Sharma will have a new bowler in the line-up.
The Indian team will need a skipper to take on the challenge of taking on South Africa. While Shikhar Dhawan has already captained the side in the recent Sri Lanka series, Hardik Pandya is captaining Gujarat Titans. Some fans don’t like the prospect of Hardik being made captain. Others are calling it hypocritical on behalf of the BCCI.
The team’s other star is Virat Kohli. Rohit Sharma will lead India in the one-off Test in England while Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik will lead the team in the five-match T20I series against South Africa. Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul will also be in the 18-man squad for the tour.
RT-PCR testing for the T20I series
A series of RT-PCR tests will be conducted on all players of the South African national team ahead of their upcoming T20I series against India in Delhi. The five-match T20I series will begin on June 9 with the opening game being held in Delhi. The remaining matches will be played in Visakhapatnam and Cuttack. The series will also be played in Bengaluru.
The Proteas squad underwent RT-PCR testing on Thursday and were cleared to play. The team is expected to be without David Miller for the first two games of the T20I series in India vs South Africa. David Miller is on holiday in the Maldives but will be back on the field soon. During a practice session on Thursday, all players were screened and passed the test. In addition, players associated with the IPL will be given a break before the T20I series.
After the team underwent the test, they were informed that Kovid was positive for the hepatitis C virus. The test revealed that all other players were negative. The Indian support staff was also informed that the positive coaches were isolated while the match continued. Fortunately, all the players were declared fit to play. They are now practicing at Feroz Shah Kotla.
The South African players underwent the test before arriving in India. Thankfully, the results were negative. They were then allowed to practice on the field. While the spinners were practicing, wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock and all-rounder Aiden Markram watched the spin bowlers. Additionally, Quinton de Kock watched spin bowling and was also part of the session.
Team India’s middle-order performance
After a promising start, Team India’s middle order failed to deliver. Despite scoring over half a century in each of the three Tests, Pujara’s performance was largely disappointing. He scored 124 runs at an average of almost 20 in the first two Tests. The wicketkeeper’s poor batting in the first Test prompted the selectors to drop him. However, a late-game Hamstring injury resulted in a 50-run collapse for Pant.
The collapse of India’s middle order was seen as the primary reason for the defeat in Paarl. During the period between January and the start of the previous ODI, India’s middle-order averaged just 44 runs. That average was second only to New Zealand in ODIs. In Paarl, KL Rahul emerged as a crucial middle-order batsman. In 10 innings, he scored 453 runs at an average of 56.7 with a strike rate of 114. He also took the responsibility of opening in Rohit’s absence in Paarl.
The Indian middle-order has the potential to be a major asset in the future. However, this is not the case in the current World Cup. The middle-order is crucial in batting, and the middle order has to deliver more than just a single century. Earlier, the middle order had to be in good form. In the second ODI, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli were both dismissed for too few runs.
In the T20I series against South Africa, Shreyas Iyer is expected to play at number three for India. The 21-year-old’s recent form has seen him score more than 400 runs in the IPL 2022 and has proven to be an excellent T20I player. In the middle order, Dinesh Karthik could also play in the middle order. He was the match-winner for Royal Challengers Bangalore during the IPL 2022 campaign.
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