India's T20I Series Against South Africa May Offer Glimpse into World Cup Lineup

India's three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series against South Africa, which gets underway on Sunday, may offer a preview of the lineup for the West Indies and US World Cup in June.

Before the main event, the team management must make some audacious decisions. The challenge for the think tank is to assemble a playing eleven that will

If a new beginning is to be made in world cricket, then some of the well-known names must go.

More precisely, The Telegraph was informed by sources connected to or employed by the BCCI that the team intends to abandon its conservative batting strategy and replace it with a more dynamic one that better suits the format's requirements. India's traditional batting approach has been held responsible for their two most recent T20 World Cup losses.

The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is reported to have discussed this delicate situation during the most recent meeting to choose the squads for the South Africa tour, but no decision was made.

Since the previous World Cup in Australia, the selectors have kept players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul off the T20 team. However, because Hardik Pandya is prone to injuries, they have been forced to reevaluate Rohit as captain. Rohit's decisive performance in the 50-over World Cup Powerplay overs has solidified his return to the picture.

Sharma Rohit.

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But what's really confused the selectors and the Board is whether or not Kohli will be chosen. People are wondering if they will have the guts to leave him off the squad.

With 11 games remaining in the recently concluded World Cup at home, Kohli has demonstrated once again that he is a player for the big stage with a record 765 runs. In the most recent T20 World Cup, he scored 296 runs, which was more than any other player, but his strike rate of 136.40 was far lower than the best in the competition.

The opinion that Kohli is better suited for ODIs and Tests, where he can take his time building an innings, is still prevalent among the men who really matter. If India wants to have a chance of winning the T20 championship again, Ishan Kishan would be a better fit at number three.

The squad will play three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) in South Africa and the same number of matches at home against Afghanistan in January in the run-up to the tournament.

Young players such as Rinku Singh, who has shown promise as a finisher, will struggle to break into the starting eleven unless Kohli is benched, as Pandya is expected to make a comeback for the grand finale and Suryakumar Yadav's selection is merely ceremonial.

India will need to enter the match with five specialist bowlers due to the conditions.

Pandya completing the set as the sixth choice.

The Board is apprehensive of a backlash in the event that the World Cup goes south, sources told The Telegraph. Additionally, some Board members believe that national interests may not always align with what's best for IPL franchises.

During the Test series, Agarkar is anticipated to be in South Africa along with two selectors, Salil Ankola and Shiv Sundar Das. It remains unclear whether Kohli will be persuaded to miss the World Cup by the chief selector through conversation.

According to some officials, once the team returns home, the Board brass ought to speak with Kohli. Before making any hasty decisions, a player of his caliber should be treated with the respect he deserves and a formal dialogue should be initiated.

"Assume that Rohit continues to lead the team and that Kohli is not included in it. It could have a variety of effects on the team. Any such action would need to be carefully considered and involve the seniors, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Telegraph.

The Board's only chance to escape this awkward situation is if Kohli chooses to pull out of the game's shortest format. There is currently no indication that he will choose that course.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.