IND vs SA: India's Playing XI For The 1st T20I (Predicted)

India will play a five-match T20I series against South Africa starting with the first game in Delhi on June 9. The following four games will be held at Cuttack, Vishakhapatnam, Rajkot, and Bangalore on June 12, June 14, June 17, and June 19 respectively. The BCCI has announced a strong 18- member squad which saw the return of Dinesh Karthik, Kuldeep Yadav, and Yuzvendra Chahal and the inclusion of several young players.

KL Rahul will be leading the side in the absence of the regular players. He and the management will have a tough time picking the strongest XI, given that there are so many promising players in the squad. From a team point of view, Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh who are the new faces should ideally play all the games to get a taste of international T20I cricket. In this article, we try and predict India’s playing XI for the first T20I in Delhi.

IND vs SA: India’s Playing XI For The 1st T20I (Predicted)

KL Rahul

Rahul has shown his promise as a leader with the Lucknow Super Giants in the ongoing IPL season. He led his team to the playoffs and overall the side has been playing some good cricket. Rahul himself has scored over 500 runs for the season and is the ideal candidate to lead India in this series.

Also Read: IND vs SA: 3 Indian Players Who Didn???t Deserve A Spot In India Squad vs South Africa

Ruturaj Gaikwad

Gaikwad can open the batting alongside KL Rahul. He played well in the second half of the IPL and ended with 368 runs including a best of 99. He did a good job to get amongst the runs after a torrid start to his campaign. Given the firm that he has shown recently, he thoroughly deserves this opportunity.

Deepak Hooda

Deepak Hooda has been a revelation batting at number three for LSG in the IPL. He made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka and was retained for the SA series. He can be used at number three in the absence of KL Rahul. Hooda would want to replicate his good form in the series against the Proteas.

Rishabh Pant (WK)

Pant can bat at number four. He has not had the best of IPL seasons with the bat but the southpaw can never be counted out for scoring runs in international cricket. He ended the IPL season with 340 runs and would like to utilize this series to be picked in the T20 World Cup squad later this year.

Hardik Pandya

The biggest gain for the BCCI from this IPL was Hardik Pandya regaining full fitness and returning into form. He has been leading Gujarat Titans from the front. He has scored runs with the bat and taken wickets as well and was welcomed to the team with a much-deserved return call. He can bat at number five and bowl his four overs as well if required.

Dinesh Karthik

The veteran wicketkeeper made a comeback to the Indian T20I squad and should make the paying Xi. He has consistently finished gamed for RCB this season and has brought him back in the reckoning. He will be the designated finisher in the side.

Also Read: IND vs SA: Dinesh Karthik Reacts After Getting A Recall In Indian Cricket Team

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvi should lead the pace attack. Given his experience of playing T20 cricket, his inclusion in the India playing XI should be a no-brainer. He is among the highest wicket-takers for India with 58 scalps in the format.

Umran Malik

As said earlier, Malik should be given all five games in the IND vs SA T20I. The series should be used as a dress rehearsal for all the Indian bowlers for the T20 World Cup including him. He finished the IPL 2022 season with 22 wickets from 14 games.

Arshdeep Singh

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh should also be given all the games of this T20I series. Despite Punjab not doing well in yet another IPL season, Arshdeep’s bowling was their biggest positive from the series.

Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep also had his best IPL season ending with 21 wickets. He was one of the key members of the Delhi Capitals outfit this year and will continue to be so. He played his last T20I for India in the series against Sri Lank in February earlier this year.

Yuzvendra Chahal

The leggie should complete the India playing XI for the first T20I against South Africa. He is currently the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2022 with 26 wickets and can very well be the leading wicket-taker this season. He played his last T20I for India also against Sri Lanka earlier this year.

Also Read: IND vs SA: 3 Indian Players Who Deserved A Spot In India Squad vs South Africa