Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain believes India is doing an exemplary job despite the absence of some senior players in their home series against South Africa.
The Men In Blue recorded a 48-run win over the Proteas in Vishakapatnam yesterday (June 14) to remain alive in the five-match T20I series. Following a hectic IPL 2022 season and a crucial away tour of England coming up, the selection committee named a second-string squad for the ongoing series. The likes of batters Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and pacers Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami were rested.
Inzamam-ul-Haq Feels Pressure Is Now On South Africa
Furthermore, stand-in captain KL Rahul was ruled out due to an injury right before the series, which resulted in Rishabh Pant being named as the captain.
Opining that the pressure will be on South Africa for the remaining matches, Inzamam-ul-Haq said on his YouTube channel: “India are still alive in the series now. The pressure now on South Africa, because India will not lose so easily at home.
“The second-string squad should be appreciated because they are fighting back without Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, these are three important figures in the batting department.”
Trailing 2-1 against South Africa, the Rishabh Pant-led side will have to win both their remaining matches to secure a series win in the buildup to the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Inzamam-ul-Haq Reckons 2nd String Indian Team Are Putting Up A Fight
Aiming for a fourth straight T20I series win, head coach Rahul Dravid is facing his toughest challenge at home. The Men In Blue missed out on the opportunity to become the first-ever team to record 13 consecutive wins in the shortest format following their defeat in the first T20I.
Noting that head coach Rahul Dravid is working the same magic that he did during his stint as the U-19 coach, Inzamam-ul-Haq said: “If you play like how [Ishan] Kishan and [Ruturaj] Gaikwad did, the morale of the team goes up. This shows India’s depth.
“The second-string team are putting up a fight and it is great to see that. Dravid already has experience working with the U-19 team and he is applying the same here as well.”
To stay alive in the five-match T20I series, Rishabh Pant’s side needed its players to stand up and deliver in the 3rd T20I, and Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Harshal Patel accomplished exactly that. With half-centuries, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan put up 97, India’s biggest opening stand against South Africa in T20Is. Yuzvendra Chahal picked 3 scalps and Harshal Patel picked 4 wickets to give India a comfortable victory.
Rishabh Pant-led India will face South Africa in the fourth T20I of the five-match series on June 17 (Friday) in Rajkot. The 5th and final T20I will be at Bengaluru on June 19 (Sunday).