New Delhi, Nov 8: At first glance, the four-match T20I series between India and South Africa, kicking off in Durban on Friday, seems like another bilateral series for both teams to test players in preparation for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup.

But with the backdrop of the IPL 2025 mega auction, happening on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, this series suddenly gains critical significance for both teams for earning a tournament contract. From India, Jitesh Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak and Avesh Khan are in the auction pool.

Except for Heinrich Klaasen, all South African players are up for grabs in the IPL auction and strong performances against India would increase their chances of getting a deal. Former India batter Robin Uthappa, an IPL winner with Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, acknowledges the pressure of the auction will be on the minds of players in the series.

At the same time, Uthappa sees this as an opportunity for players to show their character by staying focused on the immediate challenge.

“There is going to be this thing lingering in the back of people’s minds, especially for the guys who haven’t been retained, and know that the auctions are happening over the next few weeks.”

“So it will linger, but I think that’s where it takes an athlete’s character, to say that ‘You know what, I’m going to control the controllables, I’m going to focus on what’s there at hand at this point in time and focusing on having this incredible privilege of playing for my country’.”

“I think they’ll go out and do their best in this series. If they do their best there and stack up the right performances and help the team in winning the series, then I think the auctions will take care of itself,” said Uthappa, a JioCinema and Sports18 expert, to IANS in a select virtual interaction on Friday.

One player in the Indian team who wouldn’t be taking the load of the mega auction would be wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, who smashed a breath-taking 111 in the final T20I against Bangladesh in Hyderabad last month. Although Samson’s T20I form has been inconsistent, opening the batting in four matches against South Africa provides him with an opportunity to solidify his claim for the spot once the regular players are back.

“Sanju’s narrative has been quite interesting. He’s had the confidence of the coaching staff and the leadership group, which is something that he lacked in the past. If you look at his international career, in the past, there was perhaps even a lack of clarity about where he would play and fit in the eleven. But with Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav there, the narrative has been clearer for him.”

“There’s been a lot of clarity with what his role will be and they’ve defined the role very clearly to him. Also, he’s played according to what they’ve asked from him. After Sri Lanka tour, the pressure could have mounted on him, and I’m sure it did. But the fact that they still communicated to him and said, ‘You know what, you’re going to play the Bangladesh series’, it gives a sense of clarity to a player who went through a little bit of a crisis.”

“When there’s a high-quality player, he just needs a few opportunities to go out there and get that confidence for himself. You could have seen in the first T20I against Bangladesh, he actually kind of could have played for himself. They were chasing 120 or something like that. But he still played true to the demands or the requirements of the team. That intent was reposed in the last T20I, where he got a big hundred,” observed Uthappa.

He doesn’t expect Samson to face much pressure in the series against South Africa but is curious to observe how he’ll tackle short-pitched bowling in the early stages of his batting.

“I think the pressure will be a little off him in this series. What I am interested in seeing Sanju Samson do is how he deals with the short ball. He plays the short ball really well once he’s set. But before he is set, how he deals with the short ball is something I’ll be very interested in watching.”

Talking of uncapped pacer Vyshak, Uthappa described him as a gifted bowler who has improved his pace variations in white-ball cricket. Vyshak, who also earned a BCCI fast-bowling contract this year, had taken 10 wickets in this year’s Duleep Trophy.

“He’s someone who used to be one-dimensional, and has worked very hard on his fitness and bowling. From what I remember, if I’m not wrong, he has worked with Abhimanyu Mithun on his bowling and Abhimanyu coaches young fast bowlers now in Karnataka and Bengaluru.”

“He has worked with him on his variations and those variations we’ve got to see and experience a lot when he’s bowled for RCB. He’s been again pretty much effective like Yash Dayal for RCB in the IPL. His continued success not just in white-ball cricket but also in red-ball cricket has brought up this call-up for him.”

“This series, it’s important for someone like him because he has worked very hard and is very confident with his skills. You need to blood the guys when they are confident and things are going well for them. So, in this series, if an opportunity does come, I’m certain Vyshak will give his best,” he concluded.

--IANS

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