Rain-hit Kingsmead encounter called off, India's WC combination search to wait

Indias desire to start the process of finding an ideal combination for the T20 World Cup 2024 suffered a minor dent as the SA vs IND 1st T20I was abandoned without a ball being bowled after persistent rain on Sunday In fact even the toss did not take placeNow the Men in Blue are left with just five T20Is two more against the Proteas and three games against Afghanistan at home in January ahead of next years showpiece in the West Indies and the USAIn that context India would have liked to make a head start to their search for a perfect blend at Kingsmead but rain put paid to those hopes temporarilyWith the IPL 2024 preceding the T20 World Cup the Indian thinktank will certainly bank on the league to identify the ideal 15 for the marquee eventIndia standin captain Suryakumar suggested as much I feel there are limited T20s going forward before the T20 World Cup But then we play 14 league games in the IPL as well Suryakumar had mentioned ahead of the SA vs IND 1st T20IAlso ReadThese five eye highfive showBut then nothing really can supplant the confidence a player can accrue while performing well in international matches and the weight of a good outing doubles if the touring destination is South AfricaIt also offers the management a more realistic yardstick about a players abilityThe firsttime visitors to the Rainbow Nation such as Rinku Singh Jitesh Sharma Arshdeep Singh etc would have been eager to get that unique taste of cricket here and now they would have to wait till Tuesday for the second match at St Georges Park at Gqeberha formerly known as Port ElizabethFrom a leadership perspective Suryakumar has done a very fine job while stepping in for injured Hardik Pandya during the home T20I series against the Aussies Suryakumar led from the front in Indias 41 series victoryThe 33yearold would have liked to make a winning start here against the Proteas to underline his credentials to give the bigwigs another name potentially to consider for the captains role if it ever comes to thatIt wasnt entirely amusing then to hear the Mumbai man talking about his comfort while shepherding a young sideFrom personal point of view it captaincy is a big responsibility I really enjoyed it in the last series against Australia I would love to do the same winning the series in the coming series in South AfricaBut from a larger perspective well see what comes ahead but for now lets focus on the series he had said on SaturdayThe Durban T20I could also have handed India a chance to test their options for the sixth bowler slot something that assumes importance as Pandyas fitness continues to be iffyThey perhaps could have tried the parttime spin of Tilak Varma who recently bowled a few overs for Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Yashasvi JaiswalSuryakumar did not provide a definite answer to the sixth bowling conundrum but said they have enough personnel in their ranks to fill in that roleIt is not like we dont have a sixth bowling option When the right time comes you will see the sixth bowler or maybe the seventh or eighth bowler he had saidBut for now India will have to hit the meeting room and reinforce their plans ahead of the second matchWith agency inputs