The first T20 International match between India and South Africa is all set to take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on June 9th. The game can be watched live on Star Sports and is scheduled to take place at 7:30 pm. The South African side will go to India for a five-match T20I series, which will begin on June 9th. The first T20I will be contested at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday. Let’s have a look at the team preview, match prediction and the ideal XI team.
Team news
The ICC Men’s T20I rankings presently have India at the top. In their most recent T20I series at home, India trounced Sri Lanka 3-0. The Men in Blues will be led by Rishabh Pant. Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh, both pace sensations, are newcomers to the Indian team. The seasoned guns will include Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Hardik Pandya. In the 15 meetings between these two sides, India has won nine times while the Proteas have won six times. Both sides appear to be excellent on paper, thus this should be an intriguing series. India will be aiming for a series win to set a new global record for the most consecutive T20I victories. KL Rahul was supposed to lead the team but he has been ruled out due to an injury.
Temba Bavuma, the Proteas’ usual skipper, will lead the team. The Proteas are also depending on their seasoned players. The side will be led by Quinton de Kock, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, and Kagiso Rabada.
Match Prediction
The Men in Blue’s most popular players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul won’t be playing this time. India last played Sri Lanka in a T20I series at home in February of this year. India thrashed the visitors in all three games of the three-match T20I series, claiming a 3-0 whitewash. They’ll now seek for a similar series victory against South Africa. South Africa last played a T20I series against Sri Lanka in September of last year. South Africa won all three T20I matches in the three-match away series against Sri Lanka, 3-0. In January of this year, India visited South Africa for a Test and ODI series. In both of the home series, South Africa outplayed India. The Test series was won by South Africa 2-1, while the Proteas won the ODI series by 3-0. Keeping in these track records, SA has a higher chance of winning.
India: Ideal XI
Ishan Kishan– In his previous T20I series against Sri Lanka, the wicketkeeper-batsman scored 105 runs in two games, including one fifty. He was also the series’ third-highest run-scorer.
Rishabh Pant– Pant hit 340 batters in 13 innings, averaging 30.91 runs per inning. This time, he failed to make a single half-century and was discharged many times in the 40s. In the T20I series against the West Indies, which India played in February, he was very brilliant.
Shreyas Iyer– He also played in the T20I series against Sri Lanka in February, when he helped India win 3-0. In all three games, he achieved undefeated half-centuries and emerged as one of the team’s star performers.
Hardik Pandya– Hardik Pandya wowed everyone throughout the IPL 2022 with his captaincy, batting, and bowling prowess as he guided Gujarat Titans to their first IPL title triumph.
Deepak Hooda– Hooda established himself as one of Lucknow’s middle-order stalwarts, scoring 451 runs in 15 matches. He was also able to clinch a spot in the forthcoming home series thanks to his consistent tournament successes.
Axar Patel– Axar Patel was one of the bowlers who didn’t take many wickets but didn’t give up many runs, keeping the scoring pace under control for Delhi Capitals.
Harshal Patel– Harshal Patel was the go-to bowler for RCB captain Faf du Plessis throughout the competition. In the 15 games he participated, he took 19 wickets at an economy rate of 7.66.
Bhuveneshwar Kumar– He is one of the more experienced players in the T20I side that will face South Africa, and his knowledge will be beneficial to the team.
Avesh Khan– Avesh Khan might be another speedster in the Indian team for the opening T20I. The right-arm bowler was quite effective in IPL 2022, capturing 18 wickets in 13 games for his team, Lucknow Super Giants. In the most recent series against Sri Lanka, he grabbed two wickets.
Yuzvendra Chahal– is another player to keep an eye on in the next tournament. He was the highest wicket-taker in the IPL 2022, and he set a new milestone by being the first spinner to capture 27 wickets in the tournament’s history.
Ravi Bishnoi– He picked 13 wickets in 14 matches in IPL 2022 for Lucknow Super Giants. Hopefully, he’ll pick crucial wickets in this series.
