Plenty to gain!

Mohd Siraj bowls during the third ODI against South Africa in New Delhi on Tuesday. Pic/AFP; Shardul Thakur

The ODI series against South Africa was certainly out of place, being played just a few weeks before the start of the T20 World Cup in Australia.

But then India, it seems, were doing South Africa a favour by providing them with an opportunity to improve their position in the ICC rankings. A series win would have helped them to move closer to getting a direct entry into the 2023 ICC World Cup (50 overs) to be held in India. But that did not happen as South Africa lost the series to a second-string Indian side.

Their inconsistent performance has not only made their task of getting into the Top 8 in ICC rankings tougher, but has also raised a few questions on their preparedness going into the T20 World Cup.

In the end, the Indians gained more than the South Africans could, not only clinching the series 2-1, but also most of the fringe and young players coming good in the three matches. It was Sanju Samson who played a valiant knock in the first game in Lucknow. Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer came to the fore in the second at Ranchi and after the bowlers throttled the South African batting, it was the turn of Shubman Gill to come into the limelight in the deciding game here on Tuesday.

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Siraj, Shardul, Shami for Oz

On the bowling front, the return to form of spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar, and impressive performances by Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur have opened a lot of options for the Indian selectors to look into. No wonder, Siraj and Shardul along with Shami will join the Indian team in Australia, soon enough if they have their visas in place. These three will not only act as net bowlers as Umran Malik and Kuldeep Sen's visas are yet to be processed, one of them will ultimately replace injured Jasprit Bumrah in the T20 World Cup squad.

Dhawan disappoints

If at all India had some disappointment, it was the failure of the captain Shikhar Dhawan with the bat even as he led the team very well. His failure in all three games has put a question mark on his chances of getting into the Indian team for the 2023 World Cup. However, there is still a lot of time before India hosts the mega event.

By the time the selectors sit down to zero in on the players for the 2023 World Cup, they will have a large pool to pick from. It undoubtedly will be a big challenge to choose the squad. It will be an onerous task, but the selectors will be happy with the problem of plenty than having very limited choices. India's interim coach for the series against South Africa, VVS Laxman said that it would be challenging for the selectors to put together the ideal squad for the 2023 World Cup. The former India batsman claimed that because of the excellent competition and high-level performance by younger players, the team management and the selectors will have options galore.

"We have a talented group of cricketers, and they have played very well to win the series against a strong South African side. The competition among them is equally good, so we are spoilt for choice. It would be challenging for the selectors to choose the best side for the 2023 World Cup.

"However, the fringe players are aware that once the key players return, they won't have as many opportunities, so this was their moment to shine and remain in contention when the team is selected [for the ICC World Cup]," Laxman said.

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Harder for SA

While India's second-string players showed their prowess and impressed one and all, it was not the case with the South Africans. Their performance was inconsistent to say the least. They went from the sublime to the ridiculous.

A superb show in the first game at Lucknow and then bowled out for 99 in the series-deciding match in Delhi, will haunt them going into the T20 World Cup.

Their biggest concern remains the form of skipper Temba Bavuma. Though his leadership is not being questioned, his contribution with the bat has been next to nothing. This does not augur well for a team going into a mega event.