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CricBattle Daily Fantasy Cricket League Tips

India vs South Africa on September 22

India made a thunderous start to the T20I series after the washed off match in Dharamshala. The Men in Blue brushed aside the Proteas by seven wickets at the PCA Stadium in Mohali to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Yet another time, Virat Kohli, the hosts’ skipper, stood up and churned out an unbeaten 72 in a run-chase. The home team will now be eyeing a win in the third T20I in Bangalore. Their bowlers also looked in great shape as well. For the visitors, a lot of work needs to be done, especially in the bowling area, which failed to make early inroads, allowing the batsmen to settle. Their striking ability at the death also needs to be worked upon. This will also be South Africa’s maiden T20I in Bangalore and they’ll be desperate to evade their first T20I series loss in India.

Best economical pick – Temba Bavuma, the debutant, showed a lot of character in the first match and was cruising ahead for his maiden half-century but was denied a 50 when he was caught at 49 by Jadeja near then fence.

Top captains & vice captains – Well! In case you have been under a rock, Virat Kohli strolled past another run-chase at Mohali. The Indian captain continued his love affair with the venue, churning out another chapter in the tutorial: How to go about a run-chase? Ask Rabada. Ask Nortje. Ask anyone for that matter. Kohli’s 52-ball-72* meant he is now the leading run-scorer in T20I cricket, and with the next game at his IPL home ground, one can expect him to add the umpteenth chapter to that tutorial. The Proteas had a few positives to take from the first game. Quinton de Kock, the new designated captain, led his team from the front and made a comprehensive 52 from 37 deliveries only to leave his team in the middle looking for a direction.  

Smart pick – Shikhar Dhawan too looked his free-flowing self in Mohali and his innings was only halted courtesy of a brilliant one-handed catch from David Miller. But Dhawan knows he needs a big score under his belt. With KL Rahul breathing down his neck, the southpaw will hope he converts the 40-odd he got in the last game, to a substantial score.

Cautions Pick – Who will bat after Kohli for India? Will India still persist with the misfiring Rishabh Pant at No.4 or will Shreyas Iyer finally get the promotion, he deserves? The move to swap Pant with Iyer could be mutually beneficial. While it would give Iyer an opportunity to bat higher and showcase the talent that he has shown in ODI cricket and the IPL, the demotion of Pant at No.5 will give necessary ammunition to go all-out at the backend of the innings with the quartet of Pandya brothers.

My XI – Virat Kohli (Captain), Quinton de Kock (Vice-Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Temba Bavuma,  Rassie van der Dussen, Rohit Sharma, Bjorn Fortuin, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Andile Phehlukwyo, Hardik Pandya