Indian T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav expressed faith in Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is missing from the series squad and said his team is ready for the challenge when they face South Africa in India's first T20I at Durban.
The young Indian side aims to extend their T20I dominance as they kick off their South African tour, which features four T20Is, with the first match in Durban on Friday. Yadav's remarks come after India's 0-3 Test series loss to New Zealand at home, their first loss at home in a Test series in 12 years and first-ever whitewash in a Test series of three-match or more.
Ruturaj is currently playing in the India A's two-match series against Australia A in Australia, where he has not made an impact as a batter.
"Ruturaj is a fantastic player. He has been fantastic and consistent across all formats he plays...
"There are a lot of players who have been performing well even before him, so there is a routine or process that I think that the management has come up with, so it is important to follow that. He has been performing consistently well, so I believe his time will come soon," Suryakumar Yadav said in the pre-match press conference.
In 23 T20Is and 20 innings, Ruturaj has scored 633 runs at an average of 39.56, with a strike rate of 143.53, with a century and four fifties. His best score is 123*.
The Indian captain dismissed concerns about the potential challenge of bouncy South African pitches, citing India's strong T20I record in South Africa, with six wins and three losses.
"We play on good bouncy pitches in India as well, so it's nothing new for us. We also played here last year and understand the conditions, the ground, and the wicket. We have our game plan, and we're excited for the series ahead," he concluded.
The second T20I will take place at St George's Park in Gqeberha on November 10, followed by the third at SuperSport Park in Centurion on November 13. The series will conclude with the fourth T20I at Wanderers Stadium on November 15.
