India go to Dharamsala having flagged some batting issues despite their big win in the opening T20I. Hardik Pandya’s rescue act proved decisive in that match after the top order struggled, and Tilak Varma’s 62 off 34 held things together in the second game. There is a growing need for clarity about how India approach different phases of the innings, and a tweak to the batting order is possible.
Abhishek Sharma will again be asked to provide early momentum. He has been India’s standout aggressor in recent months, in the Asia Cup and on the Australia tour, often hitting quickfire 30s and 40s at strike rates above 200. Gill and Suryakumar Yadav are going through a lean spell, while Pandya, Axar Patel and Jitesh Sharma offer firepower lower down. In the second game Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh went wicketless and were expensive, though both are expected to recover.
South Africa responded to their Cuttack collapse with a 51-run win, piling up 213 on a surface that did not look especially easy. De Kock’s 90 set the tone. Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, David Miller and Donovan Ferreira give the lineup depth, while Marco Jansen, Lutho Sipamla, Lungi Ngidi and Ottneil Baartman form a well-balanced attack. Our preview still picks India narrowly.
