South Africa begin their final T20 International (T20I) series before next month’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup by facing India in the first of three matches at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday (September 28). The games offer head coach Mark Boucher his last chance to fine tune the squad and test out combinations ahead of the month-long T20 spectacle in Australia. (Follow LIVE India vs South Africa 1st T20I 2022 Cricket Match Scorecard and Updates)


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

Speaking ahead of the opening game, captain Temba Bavuma was predicting an evenly contested contest between the two teams. “We’re expecting it to be a good series, a competitive one, as it always is when we play India,” he told the media on Tuesday (September 27). “The last time we were here, we were tested and challenged in all departments of our game and I think we answered those challenges quite well. So I expect a good, strong and competitive series.”


The Proteas have been on an upward trajectory in the game’s shortest format, winning five out of their last six bilateral series – the sixth one being a tied 2-2 scoreline against the same opponents in the sub-continent earlier this year. Bavuma said he was pleased with their overall progress as a team in 20-over cricket, adding that this final series was a chance to ensure all their preparations we finalised ahead of their World Cup opener against a still to be determined opponent in Hobart on 24 October. 


“This will be our last series before the World Cup and we’ll be looking to plug any gaps we feel that are there,” the skipper explained. “We have guys who have been playing a lot of cricket and I guess we will be managing their intensity. We also have guys who need some cricket under their belts. It will be to give those guys some game time because this is our last preparation in different conditions compared to Australia but still match time nevertheless.”


Like South Africa, India too will be using the series for any final experimentation ahead of the World Cup. The hosts are coming off a 2-1 series win over Australia which ended on Sunday, a sequence of games that saw the return to form of some of their big gun players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.


Match Details


India vs South Africa 1st T20 match


Venue: Greenfield Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram


Date & Time: September 28 at 7 PM IST


Live Streaming and TV details: Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar website and app


IND vs SA 1st T20 match Dream11 Prediction


Wicketkeeper: Quinton de Kock


Batters: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Reeza Hendricks


All-rounders: Axar Patel, Aiden Markram, Dwaine Pretorius


Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Tabraiz Shamsi


Captain: Virat Kohli


Vice-captain: Aiden Markram


India vs South Africa 1st T20 Predicted 11


India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh


South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Temba Bavuma (c), Rilee Rossouw, Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markram, Dwaine Pretorius, Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje