India will be playing their first T20I at Kingsmead, Durban against South Africa. The much-awaited encounter is going to take place only after three months since their clash in T20 World Cup 2024 final that India won by seven runs for the second time in the T20 World Cup trophy. South Africa will look to earn redemption in this series, eager to avenge their narrow loss and test the reigning world champions on their home turf.
Rain Threat Looming Over SA Vs IND, 1st T20I
Where the battle may be warmed up on Durban’s field, weather could make all difference in this match, because there is chance of rain from 4 pm, immediately before the scheduled start time. So a shadow may be cast on what might actually be an interrupted affair or even a reduced-overs contest.
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According to AccuWeather there will be 100% cloud cover and the humidity will be 84%. This is a very concerning sign as there are high chances that rain can disrupt the play. It has also been stated that there will be thunderstorms in parts of the area.
Can Suryakumar Yadav Lead India To Victory?
India starts the series with a fresh-look lineup, having witnessed retirement from some of their decorated veterans, including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. India begins a new chapter in T20I cricket under Suryakumar Yadav, who has been leading India’s T20I squad. Under Yadav’s leadership, so far, India has won dominant 3-0 series sweeps over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The fashionable beater also put India to a series-winning victory over Australia at home 4-1 and saw through an even game 1-1 against South Africa in his last match.
Suryakumar has been a winning captain since the beginning: he has led India in 13 games and won 11 with only two losses. It will give a lot of scope to many emerging young stars. Those that are likely to be seen in the group as well as make their first international appearances are Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Dayal, and Ramandeep Singh. All eyes will be on how these young heroes do on the pressure-cooker T20I format against South Africa, which actually is one of the greatest cricketing nations in the world.
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Having to face each other on the battlefield of supremacy and possibly under rain clouds, Friday’s encounter between these two teams promises to be an exciting one full of expectation.
SA Vs IND: Head-To-Head Record
Both the teams have played 27 T20I matches against each other out of which India has won 15 and South Africa has won 11. Only one match ended without a result.
The competition between both the teams is going to be very tough as South Africa will be looking forward to make a comeback and take revenge from their T20 World Cup 2024 defeat while India will be eyeing to gain a strong momentum and establish their dominance.
SA Vs IND: Full Squads
India Squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Dayal, Jitesh Sharma, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Ramandeep Singh
South Africa Squad:
Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton (wk), David Miller, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Nqabayomzi Peter, Ottneil Baartman, Mihlali Mpongwana, Donovan Ferreira, Patrick Kruger
