3 player battles to watch out for in India vs South Africa T20Is ft. Suryakumar Yadav vs Keshav Maharaj
India will kickstart the highly anticipated tour of South Africa with a three-match T20I series, and the first game will be played at Kingsmead, Durban, on Sunday, December 10.
The Men in Blue have just six T20Is left to figure out their combination for the T20 World Cup to be played in the Caribbean and the USA in June next year. They emerged victorious 4-1 against Australia in the T20I series at home and Suryakumar Yadav and co. will want to feed off the momentum from those performances.
The Proteas, on the other hand, also have some key areas to fill in their T20I team and a series against a top-quality Indian side will only keep them in good stead. On that note, let's take a look at three player battles that could keep fans at the edge of their seats throughout the series:
#3 Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Marco Jansen
With his ultra-aggressive style of play at the top of the order, Yashasvi Jaiswal has emerged as a serious contender for the opening spot in India's playing XI for the T20 World Cup. A couple of impactful performances against South Africa would only help the youngster further strengthen his claim.
Jaiswal likes to go hard in the powerplay and that means he could be facing a lot more of South African pacer Marco Jansen. The tall left-arm seamer can generate steep bounce and can also move the ball both ways if conditions are in his favor. It would be interesting to see whether Jaiswal adjusts his game or backs himself to take Jansen down.
#2 Heinrich Klaasen vs Ravi Bishnoi
The newly crowned No. 1 ranked T20I bowler in the world, Ravi Bishnoi has quickly grown into India's go-to bowler in the shortest format. Throughout the T20I series against the Aussies, Suryakumar Yadav turned to Bishnoi whenever he needed a wicket and the youngster delivered.
However, the leg-spinner's biggest challenge so far could be keeping Heinrich Klaasen at bay. Arguably the best basher of spin in the Proteas line-up, Klaasen has often taken down wrist spinners almost at will. The likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and Adam Zampa have looked helpless against the star batter in the past.
This is why Bishnoi could face a stiff test, that too on surfaces that may offer bounce but not too much spin. How he goes about it and whether he can dominate Klaasen makes it a high-profile match-up.
#1 Suryakumar Yadav vs Keshav Maharaj
There has been a lot of talk about Suryakumar Yadav having an issue dominating left-arm spin despite being the No. 1 ranked batter in the world in the T20I format. However, his numbers against Keshav Maharaj are surprisingly excellent.
SKY has faced 28 balls from Maharaj in T20Is and has scored 48 runs without being dismissed even once. India will want their best batter to continue dominating this match-up as he is the key to them doing well in the series. However, Maharaj is a clever bowler and might have already planned on how to trouble the Indian captain.