IND vs SA: 5 Indian players who might miss the bus for T20I series

3. Prithvi Shaw

Adding to the long list of Indian openers and the even longer list of reserve openers, there stands the young and talented Prithvi Shaw. Shaw, who had a decent IPL 2022 before being diagnosed with typhoid, was doing the job of the bashing opener for DC. A home series against South Africa could have been the breakthrough series that Prithvi was looking for.

The Mumbai-born batter has played nine innings for DC, scoring 259 runs at an average of 28.78. More than the average, what makes Prithvi stand apart from other openers is his swashbuckling strike rate of 159.87, which has its worth in gold for an opening batter. Prithvi has the game and swag of a dashing opener who can dismantle the bowlers in the powerplay overs, which is the basic KRA for any opener in T20I. However, having the ability and talent is one thing, and consistently performing is another. To make a comeback in the Indian setup, Prithvi must consistently perform and regain the faith of the Indian selectors.

Taking everything into consideration from fitness to Shaw’s form, he would have still missed the bus to the Arun Jaitley stadium in Delhi to play against South Africa. India has already decided on their opening pair for the T20 World Cup: KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma as the two frontrunners. India also has two backup openers in Shikhar Dhawan and Ruturaj Gaikwad who can walk into any playing eleven. The problem of plenty for the opening position is spoiling chances for natural, free-flowing openers like Prithvi Shaw, who need to prove their mettle consistently to have a chance to feature as a regular opener for India.