The SA vs IND series has four T20Is, running from November 8 to 15.
(The top 5 exciting player battles to watch in the SA vs IND 1st T20I.)Starting on November 8 in Durban, South Africa will host India for a four-match T20I series, ending on November 15. This series marks the first face-off between India and South Africa since their thrilling ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final, where India narrowly claimed victory.
India’s T20I squad will look different this time. With India’s Test squad on a tour in Australia and three senior players recently retired, Suryakumar Yadav has taken on the role of T20I captain. He will lead a young and less experienced team in South Africa, including three players who haven’t yet played an international match.
South Africa, on the other hand, has a solid lineup, featuring many players from the World Cup final. However, a few key players—Kagiso Rabada, Quinton de Kock, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Anrich Nortje—won’t be part of this series.
With top talent on both sides, fans can expect a thrilling series. Let’s look at the top five exciting player matchups in the first T20I between South Africa and India.
Top 5 key player battles to watch out for in SA vs IND 1st T20I:
5. Aiden Markram vs Arshdeep Singh
A thrilling player battle to watch is between Aiden Markram and Arshdeep Singh. In the T20 World Cup final in Barbados, Arshdeep dismissed the South African captain Markram for only four runs.
In T20 internationals, Arshdeep has managed to keep Markram’s scoring under control. Markram has scored 51 runs off 41 balls from Arshdeep, with a strike rate of just 124. Arshdeep has also dismissed him once in these matches.
In the IPL, Arshdeep has taken Markram’s wicket once too. This contest between them will be interesting to see in the upcoming matches.
4. David Miller vs Hardik Pandya
Former Gujarat Titans teammates, David Miller and Hardik Pandya, will face each other in this series. Since they played together for two IPL seasons, they likely know each other’s strengths and weaknesses well.
In the T20 World Cup final, Pandya dismissed Miller, a key moment that helped India secure the trophy. In T20 internationals, Pandya has dismissed Miller four times, giving up only 30 runs in 30 balls. This shows Pandya’s ability to keep Miller in check, making their upcoming battle one to watch.
3. Heinrich Klaasen vs Hardik Pandya
In the T20 World Cup final, Pandya took a key wicket by getting Heinrich Klaasen out in the 17th over of South Africa’s chase. This wicket changed the game’s momentum and gave India a chance to make a comeback.
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In their T20I match-ups, the battle between Pandya and Klaasen has been even. Pandya has dismissed Klaasen twice, but Klaasen has also scored 52 runs off 33 balls against him.
2. Suryakumar Yadav vs Keshav Maharaj
India captain Suryakumar Yadav is in great form in T20 cricket (though he has rarely been out of form in the last five years!). On his last T20I tour to South Africa, Suryakumar even scored a century.
He seems to especially enjoy batting against Keshav Maharaj, South Africa’s left-arm spinner. In T20Is, Suryakumar has scored 69 runs off 43 balls from Maharaj. It will be exciting to see how Maharaj plans to handle the challenge of bowling to Suryakumar in the upcoming SA vs IND series.
1.Sanju Samson vs Marco Jansen
Sanju Samson recently scored his first T20I century against Bangladesh in Hyderabad, showing he can succeed in international cricket.
However, facing Marco Jansen with the new ball on South African pitches will be a much tougher challenge for Samson compared to playing against the Bangladesh bowlers in Hyderabad. If Samson performs well in South Africa, it will boost his chances with the selectors and prove his skills even more.
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