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The five-match T20I series between India and South Africa ended level at 2-2 after the series decider at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru was abandoned due to rain on Sunday. Only 3.3 overs were possible in the game and India managed to post 28/2 in that duration. South Africa had won the first two T20Is, but Team India managed to stage a comeback in the next two, to bring the series on level terms at 2-2.
India head coach Rahul Dravid said Rishabh Pant remains an "integral part" of the team's batting-line up despite struggling for runs in their Twenty20 International series against South Africa.
Rahul Dravid had taken over the reins of Team India after the T20 World Cup in UAE and under his tenure, the Men in Blue defeated New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and West Indies in white-ball series, while the T20I series against South Africa ended in a 2-2 draw, with the final match abandoned due to rain. However, disappointment was on offer when Team India lost the away Test and ODI series against South Africa earlier this year. Before the start of the fifth T20I against the Proteas in Bengaluru, Dravid opened up on his coaching stint with the senior side so far, and made a hilarious remark in the process.
Rahul Dravid had planned but he isn't complaining as it provides an opportunity to create more leaders within the group. Since Dravid took over in November after the T20 World Cup, India have had Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya (set to lead in Ireland) as national captains due to the COVID-19 related bubble breaks, simultaneous series held in countries, and injury-induced breaks. "It's been challenging as well, we have got six captains in the last eight months, which actually wasn't the plan when I started, but it's the nature of the number of games we are playing," Dravid told Star Sports before the start of the fifth match.
India pacer Avesh Khan felt the pressure after going wicket-less in the first three games but said head coach Rahul Dravid's faith in him pushed him to come up with a match-winning performance in the fourth T20I. Avesh relied on the hard lengths to end up with career-best figures of four for 18 in his young international career. Despite losses in the first two games, India did not change the playing eleven.
Having conceded 87 runs in 11 overs in the first three games, the 25-year-old quick was under pressure, with many questioning his place in the side, asking him to be replaced by pace merchant Umran Malik or Arshdeep Singh in the XI. However, Avesh shut his critics for the time being with a lethal spell, riding on the extra bounce in the wicket to prise out Dwayne Pretorious (0), Rassie Van der Dussen (20), Marco Jansen (12), whom he ‘softened up’ with a blow to his helmet before knocking him off, and Keshav Maharaj (0).
A total of 155 international games across formats in 18 years since his debut doesn't do justice to Dinesh Karthik's immense potential but it has perhaps got to do with the insecurities that crop up with sporadic chances over the years. Having played a big role in India's series-levelling 82-run win against South Africa, Karthik attributes performances like 27-ball-55 to a sense of security and clarity in thought process.
Dinesh Karthik's immense potential but it has perhaps got to do with the insecurities that crop up with sporadic chances over the years. Having played a big role in India's series levelling 82-run win against South Africa, Karthik attributes performances like 27-ball-55 to a sense of security and clarity in thought process. "Just feels good,' he said about the innings. "I am feeling very secure in this set-up. In the last game, things didn't go according to plan, but I went and expressed myself today," Karthik said at the post-match presentation ceremony. He gave a lot of credit to coach Rahul Dravid. "Credit to Rahul Dravid; there is a certain sense of calmness. The dressing room is a calm place right now. It is important to learn to embrace pressure. It feels secure and fuzzy. That clarity and the environment environment helped."