Young Indian talent steps up with an eye towards the T20 World Cup

India has emerged victorious from yet another bilateral series. Whatever the cause of India's lack of an ICC championship since 2013, they are unbeatable in terms of consistency, which can only be determined by how well they play in bilateral matches over an extended period of time.

In the most recent success, a 4-1 triumph over Australia, neither side was playing at maximum capacity during the T20 series, which started four days before the ODI World Cup final. Much might happen in the more than six months until the T20 World Cup, which will take place in the Caribbean and the United States from June 4–30, 2024. Not only will Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's shortest-form futures be unknown, but IPL 2024 will also provide selection challenges due to players entering and exiting the game.

Despite these warnings, India's selectors should be heartened by what they witnessed in the series win.

*Young batters step up

India boasts a group of promising hitters in Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Ishan Kishan, and Tilak Varma who are eager for regular opportunity. Whether or whether they are selected will rely on how well the selectors mix enthusiasm and experience. In the series, Gaikwad and Jaiswal performed admirably as the opening duo, enabling the hosts to get off to fast starts on wickets conducive to making strokes.

Additionally, they provide a left-right combination, which makes bowlers continually modify their lines in a manner that does not allow for much room for error. No matter how they perform in the T20 World Cup, though, they could have to wait if Sharma and Kohli are taken into account. Shubman Gill, who would lead the Gujarat Titans in the IPL the next season, is also a contender.

There are also many options in the intermediate order. Rinku, Varma, and Kishan provide the middle order more depth, while regulars like Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, and Hardik Pandya are anticipated to replace them. Even when everyone is available, Rinku in particular will like his chances because, at 26, he fills a role that few others are skilled at: that of a lower-middle order batsman who is primed to take advantage of opportunities in the death overs. His five sixes in the last over of this year's IPL provided the decisive proof. He will be first in line for the No. 6 spot if he can continue to build on his previous success with another outstanding IPL season.

*Heavy competition in spin attack

Despite being rested for the Twenty20 series following a demanding six-week World Cup campaign, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav are aware that they cannot afford to sit back and take it all in. With his combination of fastish leg-breaks and googlies, rookie spinner Ravi Bishnoi may not appeal to purists, but he appears to have the courage to perform under duress. He may be prone to leaking runs, as evidenced by his nine wickets at an economy of 8.2 throughout the series (who isn't in this format?). However, he also possesses a penchant for getting wickets, which was evident throughout the series as he made breakthroughs even against the flow of play.

Perhaps Axar Patel has something to prove. After an injury kept him out of the ODI World Cup, the 29-year-old left-arm spinner performed admirably in these Twenty20 matches. He was somewhat successful in locking down hitters on tracks that catered to large totals. However, oddly, he is left out of the T20 team for the series against South Africa, which starts on December 10. Jadeja will be Suryakumar's deputy again. There will probably only be enough for one on the plane to the Caribbean because they are both effectively doing the same job. Axar could need to have an exceptional IPL season if he wants to catch up to the senior all-rounder in time for the T20 World Cup.

Yuzvendra Chahal, who was left out of the ODI World Cup, will compete as well. The 33-year-old leggie has 187 scalps in 145 matches, more than any other player in the 16-year history of the Indian Premier League. His 80 T20I wicket total of 96 is also an Indian record. It's difficult to understand why he was selected for the ODIs just during the South African trip and left out of the T20 team, but he will probably have a good argument for being included.

*Arshdeep, Mukesh worth backing

The fact that no Indian bowler in this series had an economy lower than nine reflects their struggles throughout the course of the five games. With runs being lost at a rate of 13.25 per over, Prasidh Krishna was given the worst treatment and might not be selected for the T20 World Cup. Even Avesh Khan is not always reliable.

But as the fifth Twenty20 International in Bengaluru on Sunday demonstrated, it would be worthwhile to stick with Arshdeep Singh and Mukesh Kumar. Perhaps Arshdeep hasn't performed as well as anticipated during the T20 World Cup last year. The 24-year-old from Punjab, who protected nine runs in the last over at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, has the ability to compliment Jasprit Bumrah despite effective death bowlers being hard to come by.

The increasing trajectory of Mukesh is also significant. At thirty years old, Mukesh is far from a greenhorn. He is known for hitting a probing channel in first-class cricket and appears to have the skills to step up even in the last overs of a T20 game. Bumrah leads the pace attack without a doubt, but Arshdeep, Mukesh, and a few others must provide the front-runner with significant assistance.