3 things to look forward to in the 4th India vs South Africa T20I ft. Suryakumar Yadav's form
India will get the chance to put the series beyond South Africa's reach on Friday, November 15. The fourth and final game of the rubber will be played in Johannesburg, with the visitors currently holding an unbeatable 2-1 lead.
The series has been an entertaining one so far, with notable performances from both teams. India took the early lead with a thumping win in Durban before the Proteas leveled the scores in Gqeberha. Both sides were in the game throughout in Centurion, with the Men in Blue holding their nerve till the end to come out on top.
The fourth T20I promises to be another gripping affair.
India’s squad for 4 T20Is against South Africa: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.
On that note, here are three things to look forward to in the fourth T20I between India and South Africa.
#3 Suryakumar Yadav's form could experience a spike
With scores of 21, 4 and 1, Suryakumar Yadav hasn't been anywhere near his best in the series so far. In the last T20I, the Indian skipper was caught in the deep while trying to clear the off-side boundary.
Since taking over as captain, Suryakumar's form has experienced a slight nosedive. He has averaged in the 30s in this calendar year, and while the role of skipper might only be coincidental, there's no doubt that he'd like to be back among the runs.
Suryakumar is a world-class player, and there hasn't been a pattern to his dismissals so far. That's a good sign, and he's bound to come up with a vintage performance soon.
#2 Sanju Samson - duck, duck, and?
![Sanju Samson hit a century in the first T20I. [Image: BCCI on X]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/11/e7d9c-17316714937714-1920.jpg)
Suryakumar isn't the only Indian player who'd like to get back among the runs. Sanju Samson started the series with a sensational knock in the opening T20I, but has followed it up with consecutive ducks.
Samson now has four ducks in his last five away T20Is, and he'd like to ensure that talk about his place in the XI doesn't start once again. His father's recent comments haven't helped matters, and the keeper-batter needs to capitalize on the rich vein of hitting form he's in.
Marco Jansen will be smelling blood once again. Will Samson be up to the task and prevent a disappointing end to a series that started on the ultimate positive?
#1 South Africa haven't won any of their last 7 bilateral T20I series
South Africa did make the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup, but their bilateral form has been far from impressive. The Proteas haven't won any of their last seven series in the T20I format, and while that number will extend to eight on Friday, drawing a rubber against one of the most in-form sides in the world could catalyze a turnaround.
India have won 23 of their 25 T20Is in 2024, and the team has been in sizzling touch under Suryakumar Yadav. The T20 World Cup triumph seems to have given the Men in Blue a platform to leap off, with the new captain handling affairs well.
South Africa are one of the most talented T20 sides in the world, and whether they'll be able to bounce back is an interesting storyline ahead of the final game of the series.