Although there is not much interest in India’s three ODI series against South Africa which is happening so close to the T20 World Cup, it must be noted here that the series provided many opportunities to the fringe Indian players. Namely: Ishan Kishan, Mohammed Siraj, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill. All these above names have surely packed a punch after being limited to only the 50-over format.
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The series has also brought light to the fate of Sanju Samson who was conveniently ignored from the scheme of things despite being in the squad till August. A fighting half-century in a losing cause has certainly done him world of good.
Moreover, all these performances has likely put pressure on regular Team India players who are fighting to save their spot in the playing eleven. One of them could be Rishabh Pant who continues to falter with the bat. Speaking on his fate, former South Africa cricketer Dale Styen has backed Kishan to replace him in the near future. Calling him, ‘baby faced’ and ‘rockstar,’ Steyn recalled what was sharing the dressing room with Kishan was like in his initial years, adding that he can push Pant out of the side.
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Interestingly Kishan was Pant’s captain during 2016 ICC Under 19 World Cup, but the latter upped his game to fast-track himself in the Indian team.
“A 100 percent. I actually played with him a bit way back in the IPL. He seemed like a baby. We nicknamed him Justin Bieber because he was like this absolute rockstar. I’ve watched him go and get better. For a short and small man, he packs an incredible punch. These sixes odd Nortje aren’t small. They’re pure timing and muscle. And just the ability to recognise when to take on the bowler… he is a great player and guys in that Indian team… Rishabh Pant should be worried that someone is coming for his spot," Steyn said on Star Sports.
Ishan Kishan showed his batting prowess in the second ODI match in Ranchi where he guided India to a 7 wicket win as he scored 93 off 84 balls. He alongside Shreyas Iyer shared a 161 runs for the third wicket as India chased down a stiff total of 279. Moreover, Shikhar Dhawan side beat South Africa in the series decider in New Delhi to take series 2-1. After the match, Dhawan lauded the fringe players in the Indian team.
“I am proud of the boys, the way they played in the series. The way they carried the responsibility and showed maturity. Would like to thank the support staff. We showed a lot of character in the first game, we dropped a few catches, but we never really put pressure on ourselves. We tried to stick to the process. I am enjoying the journey; I’ll try to keep performing well for my team. The boys showed great character on such tough batting pitches," said Dhawan.
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