Rishabh Pant's form would be an important sub-plot when India look to seize advant against South Africa in second T20 International on Wednesday after a washout in Dharamsala effectively made series a two-match affair. T20 World Cup is more than 12 months away but India captain Virat Kohli has already detailed his plans and expectations from youngsters in side. skipper did t expect to get a bagful of opportunities when he arrived on international scene and believes current crop of youngsters also need to make it count in limited time y are going to get. One of m is 21-year-old Rishabh Pant, who can't be bracketed as a "youngster" anymore having made his debut back in February 2017.

READ | Ashes: love lost as teams share a dressing room post game   

Pressure mounts on Rishabh Pant

t a single ball was bowled in series-opener but re was eugh happening on sidelines and most of it was focussed on Pant. In a chat with host broadcaster, mess for Pant from team manment was loud and clear: he can't repeatedly throw his wicket away and if he does "re will be a rap on knuckles. We'll let him be but at times when you see a shot, like first ball dismissal in Trinidad (during tour of West Indies), if he repeats that, n he will be told. re will be a rap on knuckles, talent or talent," said head coach Ravi Shastri ahead of series-opener.

With Kohli still very much open to having Mahendra Singh Dhoni back on board, pressure is mounting on Pant to do justice to his rich talent. Considering circumstances, it was t a surprise that Pant had a hit in nets right after team flew here from Dharamsala on Monday. Pressure will also be on leg-spinners Rahul Chahar and Washington Sundar, both of whom have been picked ahead of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal for second straight series. With 20-odd games to go before World Cup, Indian team wants to boost its batting which will require number 8, 9 and 10 to score runs on a regular basis, something which has never been India's strength. Will a deep batting line-up compromise India's ability to wake wickets in middle overs? Only time will tell.

Read: BCCI accepts Dinesh Karthik's apology over CPL dressing room row

Important series for youngsters

It is also an important series for Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey, who have been brought back into side to solidify middle order. game will also be an opportunity for Shikhar Dhawan to play a substantial kck, having endured a lean tour of West Indies by his standards. It a ground he is fond of, having scored a memorable 187 on his Test debut and more recently a 143 in ODI against Australia in March this year, albeit in a losing cause. On or hand, it will be an uphill task for South Africa to beat this Indian side, which has been on a roll for most part.

READ | Woman cricketer approached for match-fixing, BCCI ACU books accused

Virat Kohli will look to take on Proteas bowlers

Time in middle for a team in transition would have been valuable but rain robbed Proteas of that opportunity in Dharamsala. Kagiso Rabada-led attack would have to bowl really well to contain Indian batsmen especially skipper Kohli, who played one of his best kcks against Australia in March 2016, last T20 played here, to take India to World T20 semifinals. Kohli, in a recent tweet, summed up what that kck of 82 off 51 balls meant to him as he struck winning runs with Dhoni at or end. Though his followers failed to read his words, Kohli will be aiming for an encore on Wednesday, after losing out first game to rain on Sunday.  Indian Cricket Coach Ravi Shastri has commented on India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant’s shot selection. Shastri has said that Pant sometimes tends to lose his wickets in crucial times, letting team down. He also pointed out that Pant should be cautious during his game and 'play some sensible cricket

Squads:

India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Rahul Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini.

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (c), Rassie van der Dussen (vc), Temba Bauvma, Junior Dala, Bjorn Fortuin, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Anrich rtje, Andile Phehlukyao, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, George Linde.

READ | Ravichandran Ashwin's birthday: BCCI hails Team India's spin king