India vs South Africa: First T20I-Preview, Probable XIs, Pitch Report and Updates
India-South Africa (Image Source: BCCI)
India will be taking on South Africa in a five-match T20I series at home. The first match of this series will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on 9th June 2022. Both the teams will be using this series as a preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 scheduled later this year in Australia.
While India is coming into the series with a second-string team, South Africa is bringing their full squad for the series. KL Rahul will be leading India in the series. South Africa on the other hand will be playing under the leadership of Temba Bavuma.
Here are the details for the match.
Team News:
India: India will be looking to put their bench strength to the test in this tournament. There are quite a few new names in the series for India including the likes of Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, and Arshdeep Singh. Also, players like Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, and Kuldeep Yadav are making a comeback to the team. The team management will look to try out different combinations and keep the players ready ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia. The Men in Blue are also on the verge of achieving a rare feat of winning the most number of consecutive T20I matches. They will look to win this match and win their 13th T20I match on the trot.
Probable XI: KL Rahul (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dinesh Karthik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav.
Players to watch out for:
KL Rahul: This series will be a test for KL Rahul the captain. Also, there will be eyes on his strike rate during the series. He earned particular criticism for his slow batting in the Eliminator of the Indian T20 League 2022. He will be rearing to go out there and score big and quick in the series.
Dinesh Karthik: Dinesh Karthik version 2.0 has been one of the biggest revelations of the Indian T20 League 2022. His form has brought him back into the national setup. He will look to prove himself worthy of a ticket to Australia later this year.
Umran Malik: The whole cricketing fraternity of India will be keeping an eye on the tear-away pace bowler from Jammu and Kashmir. It will be interesting to see how the young bowler plays if and when he gets a chance to play in the series.
South Africa: South Africa is going to field a full-strength squad for the series. This will be their first outing in the shortest format of the game, after their appearance in the T20 World Cup in 2021. The team will be looking to win the series and make their preparations for the 2022 T20 World Cup stronger.
Probable XI: Quinton de Kock (WK), Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (C), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dwaine Pretorius, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaja.
Players to watch out for:
Quinton de Kock: Quinton de Kock will be a key cog in the South African batting lineup. He had been in a good form during his time in the Indian T20 League 2022. With an idea about the playing conditions, he might be in good scoring form during the series.
David Miller: David Miller was in great form while playing for Gujarat in the Indian T20 League 2022. The South African team management will hope that his form continues and he gives them some strong finishes during the series.
Aiden Markram: Aiden Markram was the only positive of Hyderabad batting in the Indian T20 League 2022. His good form can be an added impetus for the touring party in the series.
Pitch Report: The pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium is believed to be a slow track in general. Run scoring on the track will be difficult in the middle and death overs when the ball gets softer. The match being a night game, the team winning the toss might look to the field first waiting for the dew to set during the later phase of the match.
Match Details:
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Date: 9th June 2022
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
