IND vs SA | 1st T20I | Match Preview, Prediction, Probable XI, CREX XI

After finishing off the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League, it is time for the Men in Blue to roar back at the international stage, with the 5-Match T20I series scheduled against South Africa. 

The series opener is slated to be played on Thursday (June 9) in Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. Team India, however, suffered a massive blow ahead of the first match as KL Rahul, who was supposed to lead the Indian side, has been ruled out of the series due to a right groin injury. 

Wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant will lead the side in his absence, with Hardik Pandya being his deputy. Leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been ruled out of the T20I series as he sustained an injury while batting in the nets.

The Indian team will also miss the service of their senior players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah, making it a new challenge for the Delhi lad who will be leading a bunch of rookies against a full-strength Proteas side. 

On the other hand, South Africa is coming with a power-packed lineup and has a nice blend of youth and experience in its ranks. Most of their players were in India, playing IPL 2022 and must have a good idea of the playing conditions here. Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje looked in sublime form in the cash-rich league, and the team will expect them to emulate the same performance for the national side.

Match Details

Match: India vs South Africa, 1st T20I

Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.

Date & Time: June 9 at 7:00 PM IST

Live Streaming: Star Sports & Disney+Hotstar

Pitch Report 

The pitch here at Arun Jaitely stadium in New Delhi is generally on the slower side. However, once batters are well set, scoring runs becomes easy. Both the team will look to bat first after winning the toss. 

Injury News

KL Rahul has been ruled out of South Africa T20Is with a groin injury. 

After suffering a palm injury while batting in the net, Kuldeep Yadav has been ruled out.

Head-To-Head

Matches Played: 15

India Won: 9

South Africa Won: 6

Key Players

Quinton de Kock: The South African wicket-keeper batter comes into the series on the back of a successful IPL 2022 campaign, having amassed 508 runs in 15 matches at a strike of 148.97.

Aiden Markram: Just like his South African compatriot Quinton de Kock, he, too, had an excellent IPL 2022 season. He provided much-needed stability to the middle order of Sunrisers Hyderabad and delivered in all the pressure situations. He scored 381 runs in 12 innings at an average of 47.63. 

Hardik Pandya: The ace all-rounder is back in the blues after leading Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their debut season. He must be coming into this series with a lot of confidence and hoping to contribute equally to the national side. In 15 matches, he smashed 487 runs and picked up 8 wickets with the ball. 

Yuzvendra Chahal: The highest wicket-taker in the IPL 2022 will return to national duty and look to simulate a similar performance for the team. He scalped 27 wickets in 17 matches.

Kagiso Rabada: He was the highest wicket-taker for Punjab Kings with 23 wickets in 13 matches. The South African speedster started slowly in the toughest twenty but did regain his mojo towards the latter half.

Squads

India: Rishabh Pant (C & WK), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (C), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen.

Probable Playing XI

India: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (C & WK), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi.

CREX XI Suggestion

Wicket-Keeper: Quinton de Kock, Rishabh Pant

Batters: Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, David Miller

All-Rounders: Aiden Markram, Hardik Pandya

Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kagiso Rabada, Harshal Patel

Captain: Quinton de Kock

Vice-Captain: Hardik Pandya