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Key players might be rested for final T20: Sammy
Durban (South Africa): Westindies skipper Darren Sammy is looking forward to rest some of the key players for the third and final Twenty20 International after securing and leading the series 2-0.
The West Indies arrived here Monday fresh from taking a winning 2-0 lead in the series, following a historic run chase which saw the Caribbean side successfully overhaul a mammoth 231 for seven by South Africa, to win at Wanderers with four balls to spare, reports CMC.
Sammy said he would discuss with tour selectors and coach Stuart Williams the possibility of using a revamped team, especially considering the upcoming workload of a few players.
“I said to the guys after (Sunday’s) match, 3-0 in South Africa against South Africa sounds way better than 2-1,” Sammy said.
“Obviously Chris (Gayle) is our main T20 batsman and we have the one-dayers coming up and we know how crucial (but) how prone he is to injury. I think I had a conversation with him and Stuart and he wanted to play (Sunday) so once we won the series, he could get some time to manage his body.”
Gayle was pivotal in the series win, hammering 77 off 31 balls in the opening game in Cape Town to steer the West Indies to an uncomplicated four-wicket win.
He returned at the Wanderers to blast 90 from 41 deliveries to set up another thrilling four-wicket verdict.
Sammy said he believed, however, there were strong players who could be called upon for the final game to ensure the Windies sustained their winning momentum.
“We have guys like Carlos Brathwaite (who can come in). To be fair, Jason (Holder) after the Test series looked a bit tired and we know he has the one-day captaincy to think about so Carlos Brathwaite could get his opportunity,” Sammy explained.
“And (Andre) Fletcher could also come in and keep after (Denesh) Ramdin had the Test series and have the one-dayers and the World Cup coming up.
“We will talk to the selectors and see if we can give the other guys a chance to play with the same mentality of going out and winning in Durban.”
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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.