IND vs SA 1st T20I: Match Preview, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Playing XIs, Pitch Report And Injury Update

India vs South Africa 1st T20I Match Preview

India will host South Africa in a five-match T20I series, starting June 9 in Delhi. The BCCI picked a young squad to take on a formidable Proteas unit and rested key players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah. KL Rahul was set to lead the side, but a last-minute groin injury ruled him out of the series. The selection committee then named Rishabh Pant as the skipper for the series.

India is on the cusp of a major milestone ahead of the first T20I. The Men in Blue are on a 12-match winning streak, and a win in Delhi will make them the first team to win 13-T20Is in a row. However, beating the South Africa team will not be easy for team India. Many of the Proteas players were part of the IPL 2022 and did exceptionally well for their franchises. The experience of playing in the Indian conditions will be a big plus for the Temba Bavuma-led side.

Team India, on the other hand, will have to figure out a balanced combination. In the absence of Rahul, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan will open the innings. Both players were not at their best in the IPL 2022. Shreyas Iyer will be key in the middle order along with Rishabh Pant, but their form will be a cause of concern. India does have some quality in the pace bowling department, with Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar at their disposal, but the players are not very experienced at this level. The biggest strength for India will be their spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel.

India vs South Africa 1st T20I Match Details

Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

Date & Time: 9th June at 7:00 PM IST

India vs South Africa 1st T20I Pitch Report

The pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi generally favours the batters. It’s a small ground and often teams score big here. The spinners do get some help in the latter end of the innings. Dew is expected to affect the match thus the skipper winning the toss should be looking to bowl first.

India vs South Africa 1st T20I Injury News

KL Rahul picked up a groin injury ahead of the series opener and was ruled out of the series along with Kuldeep Yadav, who got hit on the hand.

India vs South Africa Probable Playing XIs

India: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umran Malik

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (C), David Miller, Dwaine Pretorious, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje

Top Fantasy Picks for India vs South Africa 1st T20I

India Top Batter

Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad had a below-par season for CSK in IPL 2022. However, he picked up some form in the latter end of the tournament and fetched himself a few runs. He ended the tournament as CSK’s highest run-getter with 368 runs. He is a good player to have in your team.

India Top Bowler

Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal was in top form in IPL 2022 and won the Purple cap after picking 27 wickets in 17 games. The conditions in Delhi will help the spinners and Chahal will exploit any help that’ll be on offer.

South Africa Top Batter

David Miller

David Miller was in sensational form in IPL 2022 and played a pivotal role in guiding Gujarat Titans to a win. He scored 481 runs in 16 games at a strike rate of 142.73.

South Africa Top Bowler

Tabraiz Shamsi

Shamsi has done remarkably well in the last few years and given Indian batters’ struggles against spinners of late, he is a good player to have in the team.

Suggested Fantasy XI for IND vs SA 1st T20I

Wicketkeeper – Quinton de Kock (VC)

Batters – David Miller, Deepak Hooda, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Temba Bavuma

All-rounders – Hardik Pandya (C), Dwayne Pretorious

Bowlers – Yuzvendra Chahal, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Harshal Patel