IND vs SA 2022: 3 changes India should make in 2nd ODI against South Africa
Deepak Chahar has been ruled out of the series
IND vs SA 2022: India will be up against South Africa in the 2nd ODI on Sunday. The Proteas defeated the hosts by 9 runs in a thrilling encounter. It was a good fight displayed by the young guns from India led by Sanju Samson. The Men in Blue have fielded their 2nd string side as their main squad has already left for Australia for the upcoming T20 World Cup. While all the players did try their best to impress, India looked a bit off-balanced in their batting unit. It was a strange selection from the team management as most of the batters barring their openers batted out of their position.
Hence, in this post, we will take a look at three changes India should make in the 2nd ODI against the Proteas.
Rahul Tripathi in place of Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad is a technically gifted batter but he is naturally an opening batter. However, with Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill opening the batting, Gaikwad came at number three to bat in the last game. He looked very uncomfortable during his stay at the crease as he could only manage 19 runs off 42 deliveries, including only a single boundary.
India have Rahul Tripathi waiting in the wings. He is more used to batting at number three and he is an equally compact player. Furthermore, Rahul Tripathi has a better range of shots against the spinners. Hence, it would be better for India if they play Rahul Tripathi in place of Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Shahbaz Ahmed in place of Ishan Kishan
For all the quality Ishan Kishan possesses, he is an opener who loves to bat against the pacers. However, batting at number four could be tricky for a player like him as one has to move the game against the spinners. Kishan struggled in the first game and eventually was consumed by a spin delivery of Keshav Maharaj.
If India plays Shahbaz Ahmed in place of Ishan Kishan, they could promote the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson one place in the batting order. It would suit more to their batting style more and give more balance to the Indian batting unit. Furthermore, Shahbaz Ahmed is also a handy left-arm spinner and hence, he will bring a lot of value.
Mukesh Kumar in place of Avesh Khan
India have been backing Avesh Khan for a long time now. However, the young pacer has been miserably out of form for a while. In the opening ODI against South Africa, the trend continued as Avesh gave away 51 runs in 8 overs without taking a wicket. It is high-time India should look towards another bowler in these circumstances.
With Deepak Chahar already ruled out of the series, Men in Blue should give Mukesh Kumar a chance to shine on the highest level. The 28-year-old pacer from Bengal has been impressive in the last couple of seasons in domestic cricket. He has accounted for 114 wickets in 31 first-class matches at an average of 22.14. Mukesh Kumar could produce better performances than Avesh Khan and the team management should give him a game in Ranchi.
Also Read: 3 reasons why India are favourites to win T20 World Cup 2022
