IND vs SA 2022: "It's the peak of absurdity!"- Fans react to Team India deciding to bowl first and Arshdeep having 'back issue'

Team India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and has opted to bowl first against South Africa in the third and final T20I of the series against South Africa in Indore. Given that it is a small ground, chasing should be easier and it seems like a sensible decision.

However, when one adds to the context that the series has already been sealed and that India have struggled to defend totals of late, it would have been a better choice to bat first and challenge themselves when they have nothing to lose.

Rohit made another remark that caught the attention of the fans, and that was the absence of Arshdeep Singh for the game. The captain said that Arshdeep had been rested due to a minor back issue as a 'precautionary measure' and that it was nothing serious.

Fans on Twitter have started to fear the worse as they have already lost Jasprit Bumrah for the T20 World Cup to a stress fracture in his back. They also questioned the hosts' decision to play Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Harshal Patel together, given how expensive they have been of late.

Here are some of the reactions:

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Team India playing with one batter short

The likes of Dinesh Karthik and Axar Patel are likely to move higher up the order, given that the Men in Blue have replaced both Virat Kohli and KL Rahul with a batter (Shreyas Iyer) and a bowler.

It will also be interesting to see where birthday boy Rishabh Pant bats. He might get a go at the top of the order. Firstly though, India need to bowl well and restrict South Africa to an achievable total.

Lineups:

South Africa XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi

India XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj