India registered a huge 61-run win over South Africa to begin their 4-match T20I series against South Africa on Friday. It was a great start to the tour for Suryakumar Yadav who has overseen two 3-0 whitewashes in the previous two series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The men in blue now move to Gqeberha where they lost the last time the two sides played each other in 2023. Suryakumar Yadav will be wary that his team cannot let their guard down against a very dangerous South African side. With the pitch expected to aide the seamers the T20 World Cup winners will have to guard against complacency.
Here is the likely India XI vs South Africa
Top order – Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson scored a brutal ton during the opening game of the series. India’s wicketkeeper batter turns 30 on Monday and will want give himself an early birthday present with yet another brutal knock on Sunday. Abhishek Sharma has struggled for from and the 24-year-old knows this is his last chance to impress the selectors or he could lose his spot in the team.
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Middle Order – Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav has endured an inconsistent last few months with the bat. The 34-year-old played a few good shots in the first game but knows that he has to do more if India has to win the series. Tilak Varma batted well to score 33 in the last game and has shown potential with the bat in the limited chances he has got. The middle order troika of Mumbai Indians batters will also see Hardik Pandya in the XI. Pandya has been one of India’s match winners in the last few months with the bat and ball.
Lower-order – Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh
Left-handed batter Rinku Singh has been shuffling up and down the batting order. The 27-year-old will want to have a bigger say in the game on Sunday and show why he is called a dangerous batter in this format. Axar Patel didn’t get much to do with the bat and bowled just one over on Friday. The 30-year-old has all the abilities to do well just like his teammate Arshdeep Singh who impressed with the ball in Durban.
Tail enders – Avesh Khan, Varun Chakravarthy, and Ravi Bishnoi
Pace bowler Avesh Khan bowled 2.5 overs and got 2/28 which included the wicket of last man Keshav Maharaj. The 27-year-old showed good control with the ball and will want to bowl with the same intensity. Spin duo Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi picked 3 wickets each to help India to comprehensive win.
India XI vs South Africa
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel. Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy, and Avesh Khan.
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