'How they perform for India will matter' - Suresh Raina sheds light on the importance of South Africa T20Is

Former India cricketer Suresh Raina is of the opinion that the forthcoming T20I series against South Africa will be crucial for the Indian players, especially those who performed well in the recently concluded IPL 2022, in order to make a mark at the international level and leave an impression on the team for future opportunities.

The Indian squad was announced last month with pace sensations Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh receiving their maiden call-ups after impressing in IPL 2022. Apart from the two, wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik and Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya were called back into the squad.

While speaking to Star Sports, Raina shed light on the importance of the upcoming home series against the Proteas, keeping in mind the team’s T20 World Cup strategies. “It is extremely important because you will get to see all the players who performed in the IPL. But how they perform for India will matter. The mindset is important if you have to play for India,” he said.

There are a lot of things to look for: Suresh Raina

KL Rahul will lead the team as senior players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah have been given a break as they prepare for the England tour. The first match of the five-match series is scheduled at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on June 9. Raina said that apart from Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh’s performances, KL Rahul’s captaincy will also be to watch out for.

“When the matches happen, it will be extremely hot, the matches will be played in June. There are a lot of things to look for. Umran Malik, who is a talented bowler, Arshdeep, the way he has bowled, and KL Rahul as a captain. He has impressed a lot but it is now the turn of the Indian team, I feel he will do very well,” Raina added.

Rahul captained the debutant team Lucknow Super Giants in the 15^th edition of the IPL and led the team to their first-ever playoff, in their maiden outing, by finishing third on the points table. Thus, it would be interesting to watch him lead the Men in Blue. Umran and Arshdeep have high chances of receiving their debut cap and being a part of the playing combination as the duo did exceedingly well in IPL 2022.