India vs South Africa- India Playing 11 vs South Africa (Predicted), IND vs SA 1st T20I, South Africa tour of India 2022

India vs South Africa- India Playing 11 vs South Africa (Predicted), IND vs SA 1st T20I, South Africa tour of India 2022- India is all set to host South Africa for a five-match T20I series in a space of just 10 days, and first India vs South Africa T20I is scheduled to take place on 9 June 2022 (Thursday) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi from 7:00 pm.

The India vs South Africa T20Is will be ideal for the preparation of the 2022 T20I World Cup scheduled to be played in Australia in October-November.  It will be a payback series for the Indian side after coming empty-handed from the South Africa tour at the start of the year. India lost the Test series 2-1 and the ODI series by 3-0. So their losing streak against South Africa is now 5 games in a row in two different formats.

Though India will be missing their key players, they have an impressive record at home. India has not lost a T20I series at home since 2018. It’s been 14 months since they lost a T20I game at home. India is a really strong side to beat at home as they registered brilliant series win recently against Sri Lanka and West Indies earlier this year. On the other hand, South Africa has not played international T20 cricket for a while now and they will be looking to do well against a rather inexperienced Indian team.

South Africa will assemble as a team for a T20I series for the first time after the 2021 T20I World Cup last year, though many of their players have already been in the T20 mode, thanks to the IPL 2022. Heinrich Klaasen makes a return to the SA T20I set up while India will welcome back Dinesh Karthik to their hut for the first time since 2019. India will also closely watch how Hardik Pandya performs as the all-rounder showed immense poise and leadership qualities in IPL 2022 while leading Gujarat Titans to the title.

All the Indian players are available for selection in the India vs South Africa 1st T20I and there are no injury issues for India. KL Rahul will be the captain. Rishabh Pant will don the wicket-keeping gloves. They will depend a lot on the likes of KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant to be their important mainstay clogs with the bat.

The likes of Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Hardik Pandya will be their crucial wicket-taking bowlers. KL Rahul will lead the Men in Blue in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

India has a lead over South Africa as far as the head-to-head record in India vs South Africa T20Is is concerned. The two sides have clashed in 15 matches, with India winning nine. India is yet to lose a T20I since October 2021.

They have won 12 T20Is on the trot ever since the joint-most successive wins by a team in the shortest format with Afghanistan (February 2018 to September 2019) and Romania (October 2020 to September 2021). India can go the extra mile if they win the first T20I against the Proteas.

South Africa has won 4 of their last 5 T20Is. They haven’t lost a T20I series in India. In the last 5 India vs South Africa T20Is, both teams have won twice, and the remaining game was abandoned due to the rain.

India vs South Africa- India Playing 11 vs South Africa (Predicted), IND vs SA 1st T20I, South Africa tour of India 2022

KL Rahul

KL Rahul is the skipper of India in the IND vs SA T20I series and will lead the team in the 1st T20I as well. The right-handed batsman will also open the innings for the team. KL Rahul holds a brilliant form currently, which was seen in IPL 2022 where he slammed 616 runs to finish as the 2nd highest run-getter. Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul slammed 2 centuries-both against Mumbai Indians and 4 fifties in the tournament.

Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan might be the other opener for the team in the India vs South Africa 1st T20I. However, he might not wear the keeper’s gloves. The left-handed batsman failed to score good knocks in crucial matches of IPL 2022 for MI.

However, making a comeback towards the end, he scored decent 418 runs in 14 games at an average of 32.15. In his previous T20I series against Sri Lanka, the wicketkeeper batter piled up 105 runs in 2 games with 1 fifty. He also finished as the 3rd highest run-getter.

Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer might be the no.3 batter for India in the 1st T20I between India and South Africa. The right-handed batsman showed an impressive form in IPL 2022 for Kolkata Knight Riders as skipper, scoring 401 runs in 14 games with 3 fifties in the tournament. In his previous T20I series against Sri Lanka, he slammed 3 consecutive fifties in 3 games. Smashing 204 runs, he finished as the top run-getter in the series.

Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant might be the wicketkeeper for the Indian team in the first India vs South Africa T20I. The left-handed batter played some good knocks in IPL 2022 but failed to come up with a good overall show. Skipper Rishabh Pant slammed 340 runs in 13 innings at an average of 30.91 for Delhi Capitals (DC).

He was unable to smash any half-centuries while getting out in the 40s a few times. His last T20I series was against West Indies in February 2022, where he scored 60 runs in 2 games with a fifty in one match.

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya will be a part of the team in the 1st India vs South Africa T20I. The right-handed batter slammed 487 runs in 15 games in IPL 2022 and also scalped 8 wickets. Hitting 4 fifties, Hardik Pandya finished as the 4th highest run-getter in the season.

Taking extra responsibility on the batting front at No.3-4, Hardik Pandya topped the runs chart for Gujarat Titans with 487 runs at an average of 44.27 with a strike rate of 131.26.  Hardik Pandya will be a crucial all-rounder for the team in the bilateral T20I series between India vs South Africa.

Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik might be another member of the 1st T20I. The right-handed batsman slammed 330 runs in 16 games in IPL 2022. Batting at a strike rate of 183+, he helped RCB to win many games. His amazing show compelled selectors to induct him into the national team after a gap of 3 years. He will play the role of finisher for the team.

Dinesh Karthik revived his career aged 36 with an incredible campaign for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Given the difficult end-overs duties by RCB, Dinesh Karthik nailed his role to perfection, scoring his 330 runs at an eye-catching SR of 183.33 while averaging 55 with the bat.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be another member of the Indian team in the 1st India vs South Africa T20I. Being the most experienced pacer in the squad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead the pace attack for India. Featuring for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2022, he picked 12 wickets in 14 games.

The right-handed pacer also bowled at a decent economy of just 7.34. In his previous T20I series against Sri Lanka, he picked 2 wickets in 3 games. In 59 T20Is, he has 58 scalps averaging 25.17 with a best of 5/24 against Proteas.

Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel might be another pacer for the Indian team in the opening India vs South Africa T20I game. The right-handed batsman picked 19 wickets in 15 games for RCB in IPL 2022. He bowled at a decent economy of 7.66. In his last T20I series against Sri Lanka, the medium-pacer scalped 2 wickets in 3 games. In 8 T20Is, he has picked 11 scalps averaging 22.45.

Avesh Khan

Avesh Khan might be another pacer for the Indian team in the 1st India vs South Africa T20I. The right-arm pacer was quite effective in IPL 2022, picking 18 wickets in 13 games for his new team Lucknow Super Giants. Avesh Khan has played just 2 T20Is so far for India. In his last T20I game against Sri Lanka, he scalped 2 wickets.

Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal certainly will be one of the spinners for the Indian team in the India vs South Africa 1st T20I. The right-arm spinner showcased his spin magic during IPL 2022, where he scalped the most 27 wickets to grab the Purple Cap playing for Rajasthan Royals. Yuzvendra Chahal also gave a good performance in the T20I series against Sri Lanka, where he picked 2 wickets in 2 T20I games at an average of 19.0. He has picked 68 scalps in 54 T20Is averaging 25.34.

Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav might be another spinner for the team in the 1st India vs South Africa T20I. Since it is a home bilateral series on Indian soil, spinners will be of great importance.

Kuldeep Yadav scalped 21 wickets in 14 games for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022 and finished as the 5th highest wicket-taker. The left-arm chinaman spinner will give more spin options to the Indian team. He has an excellent record in T20Is by picking as many as 41 scalps in only 24 T20Is averaging a mere 14.76. His best is 5/24 and he has picked 4 wicket haul twice in T20Is.