Suddenly the Indian Premier League (IPL) is in the rearview mirror. After the hectic franchise cricket, the stars will turn up for their respective national teams as India host South Africa for a five-match T20I cricket series. The format is the same, and the star cast also more or less remains unchanged. The India vs South Africa series opener will be played in Delhi, and the match will be telecast live. Match Blog | More Cricket News
Just days ago, the cricket world took a collective gasp as Hardik Pandya led the tournament debutants Gujarat Titans to the title with utmost ease. His Titans greatly benefitted from David Miller's rejuvenation. Now, they will face off. And there are others who have shown during the IPL 2022.
KL Rahul, who led Lucknow Super Giants to the playoffs in their maiden season, was supposed to lead the Indian national team but picked up an injury on the eve of the match. Rishabh Pant will be the captain. Also, in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, his predecessor Virat Kohli and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, the hosts will rely on the IPL talent.
But head coach Rahul Dravid has told the Indian camp to be realistic when it comes to infusing young blood, like Umran Malik, who set the IPL on fire with his raw pace.
South Africa, in contrast, have named a full-strength squad featuring IPL regulars like Kagiso Rabada, Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje, Aiden Markram, etc. And the skipper Temba Bavuma has already hinted at the IPL factor as the Proteas seek to continue their good form in India.
The series gives both sides chance to try out combinations and new talents ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia in October-November.
India vs South Africa, 1st T20I - match details
Match: India vs South Africa, first T20I cricket match;
Date: June 9 (Thursday), 2022;
Time: 7:00 PM IST/Local;
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
Delhi is hosting an international cricket match for the first time since November 2019, and tickets have reportedly been sold out.
How to watch India vs South Africa, 1st T20I
The India vs South Africa, first T20I cricket match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network. Live streaming of IND vs SA will be available on Disney+ Hotstar.
India vs South Africa, T20I head-to-head
India and South Africa have met 15 times in the T20Is, including four in India. India lead South Africa 9-6 in the head-to-head record. But the Proteas have won three of four matches in India, including the last meeting (in 2019).
India, however, are on a 12-match winning streak. A win against South Africa in Delhi will make the Men in Blue set the outright record for most successive wins, breaking a three-way tie with Afghanistan and Romania.
For the record, South Africa have lost only twice in their last 15 matches, and they are on a four-match winning run. India last lost a T20I match on October 31, 2021 against New Zealand (in the World Cup, Dubai).
Likely playing XIs
India: KL Rahul (c), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan.
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.
Squads
India: KL Rahul (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, 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, Marco Jansen.
Check full schedule for India vs South Africa, T20I cricket series
1st T20I - June 9, Delhi
2nd T20I - June 12, Cuttack
3rd T20I - June 14, Vizag
4th T20I - June 17, Rajkot
5th T20I - June 18, Bengaluru
All the matches start at 7:00 PM IST.
