India will play four T20Is against South Africa starting from Friday (November 8), and here is their predicted XI for the series opener in Durban.
Openers
Having started off with a record 46-ball hundred against Zimbabwe, Abhishek Sharma had a middling outing against Bangladesh. Given his high-risk approach at the top, inconsistency is something India need to barter with rapid starts. India will persist with the left-hander, as they have since the T20 World Cup.
With there are no other specialist openers, Sanju Samson is expected to remain at the top with Abhishek. In the final match against Bangladesh, he slammed a 40-ball ton, the second-fastest in India’s history, to take his side to 297-6, the highest for a full-member nation. After years of sporadic opportunities, Samson is closing in on a lasting spot.
Middle Order
At No.3, India's captain Suryakumar Yadav walks in. His last innings in a T20I in South Africa was a 56-ball 100 in December last year, helping India to level the series 1-1.
Riyan Parag’s injury vacates a spot in the middle order. India can pick either Tilak Varma or Ramandeep Singh. While Tilak returned to the T20I side for the first time since January this year, Ramandeep’s finishing prowess in the recently concluded Emerging Teams Asia Cup earned him a call-up to the senior side. To start with, India will probably go with experience, giving Tilak the nod over uncapped Ramandeep.
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Hardik Pandya as India’s first-choice all-rounder is a no-brainer. Having won the Player of the Series last time, he is expected to play a big role. Axar Patel, another player with multi-faced skills, will complement Pandya, while Rinku Singh has a point to prove as the team's designated finisher.
Bowlers
The bouncy South African conditions will tempt India to go in with three seamers. While Arshdeep Singh is undoubtedly the lynchpin of the attack, the question is who will be his other two partners. Mayank Yadav's unavailability due to an injury after bowling hair-raising spells on debut adds to the headache. That means Avesh Khan, who last played in the Zimbabwe series, will probably get in for being the second-most experienced pacer.
Uncapped Yash Dayal, part of India’s Test plans as recently as the Bangladesh series, missed out on a spot in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India, instead, named Khaleel Ahmed, another left-arm pacer in their reserves, with Dayal being named in the T20I side. For the third pacer, it seems he will be the preferred one ahead of Vijaykumar Vyshak, who has earned his maiden India call-up.
For the front-line spinner’s role, it’s hard to look past Varun Chakravarthy, given his outing against Bangladesh on his comeback in three years. The mystery spinner finished the T20Is as the joint-highest wickets (5) at an economy of 6.08. Though Ravi Bishnoi impressed with 3-30 in his only outing in the final match, he might need to wait for his chances.
Predicted XI
Abhishek Sharma
Sanju Samson (wk)
Suryakumar Yadav (c)
Tilak Varma
Hardik Pandya
Rinku Singh
Axar Patel
Varun Chakravarthy
Arshdeep Singh
Avesh Khan
Yash Dayal
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