Men In Blue return to action as India host Proteas for 5 T20Is

India is all set to return to the international arcade as they host the Proteas for a five-match T20I series starting Thursday with an absolute cracker on the cards at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. A lot will be on the lines as India will be eyeing payback against the South Africans as they step foot in the national capital.

Three senior Indian players will not be available for this preparatory series ahead of the T20 World Cup as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah have been rested. With KL Rahul also ruled out with an injury at the last minute, Rishabh Pant will be taking point as the captain.

The team will stay witness to the return of the vastly experienced all-rounder Hardik Pandya who conjured a sequence of extraordinary displays to help the Gujarat Titans lift the all-important silverware. Dinesh Karthik will also be returning to the international fold after a staggering wait of three long years that can be a major shot at redemption for the wicket-keeping batter.

The squad also features a handful of exciting young guns that would include the likes of fast bowler, Umran Malik, young leg-spinner, Ravi Bishnoi, experienced domestic medium-fast bowler, Harshal Patel, and Arshdeep Singh. Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Dinesh Karthik will form the experienced core as India prepares to gun down the visiting South Africans. 

It will be anything but easy for the Indian team as the Proteas showed earlier in the year that they can be a handful. Despite their shortcomings in the shorter format against Bangladesh, the strength that they have in their ranks spearheaded by the likes of Temba Bavuma will pose a handful of menacing questions for the hosts.

David Miller clawed his way back into the international team after a sumptuous display in the IPL that propelled Gujarat to the Promised Land. They would also be featuring the likes of a hard-hitting Rassie van der Dussen, wicket-keeping southpaw Quinton de Kock, and the intimidating fast bowler, Kagiso Rabada.

The experience that Rabada and de Kock has in India will be crucial to the African aspects as they hope to keep their sway back at home intact. However, the reception that they are supposed to get is everything but friendly. With the crowds flocking back to the stands, it won’t be a hospitable outing for the representatives of the Rainbow Nation.

Team News:

Currently, India has had a couple of injury issues except with KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav ruled out of the 5-match series. Kohli, Bumrah, and Rohit have been rested for this upcoming tour given the continuous cricket that they have been a part of for a while.

South Africa will be coming to this contest with their full strength and in the scorching conditions of the nation at the moment they will be hoping to slot in at their fullest swing, especially keeping in mind, that India will be coming to this contest without four of their major stars.

Match details:

India vs South Africa (1st T20I)

Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

9th June 2022

7:00 PM

Head-to-head:

Total matches: 15

India: 9

South Africa: 6

Stats:

There are two Indian bowlers to have produced four-fer displays against South Africa namely Bhuvneshwar Kumar and RP Singh, making them the nation's  joint highest 4-wicket haulers against the Proteas.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the highest Indian wicket-taker in an individual T20I series against South Africa as he claimed 7 wickets in the 2017/18 season when India ventured to the Rainbow Nation.

Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma has claimed the highest number of catches against South Africa in T20Is. Both of them have claimed 9 catches each and top the chart with Corey Anderson in close pursuit.

Manish Pandey and MS Dhoni hold the record for the highest partnership for the fifth wicket in T20Is against South Africa where the duo put together an unbeaten stand of 98.

Squads:

India: Rishabh Pant (Captain, WK), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer,  Hardik Pandya(vice-captain), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (C), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen and Marco Jansen.