India's strongest playing XI for the South Africa T20I series ft. Tilak Varma & Ramandeep Singh
India's next T20I assignment will commence in Durban on Friday, November 8. Suryakumar Yadav and company will take on South Africa, whom they beat in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup, in four T20Is.
The BCCI recently announced an exciting squad for the rubber. Although India will be without Mayank Yadav, Shivam Dube and Riyan Parag due to injuries, they will have plenty of talent in their ranks. The contingent to tour the Rainbow Nation features three uncapped players.
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 is India's strongest playing XI for the South Africa T20I series.
Openers: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk)
India have picked only two openers in their entire squad, so it doesn't take a genius to figure out who will open the batting for them in South Africa. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, who formed a fearsome pairing against Bangladesh recently, will take first guard once again.
Abhishek, in particular, has been rather inconsistent of late and will want to nail down his spot in the squad with a couple of big knocks. Samson, meanwhile, will don the gloves.
Middle Order: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh
A few picks in the middle order are fairly straightforward. Suryakumar Yadav, as the captain of the side, will slot in at #3. Rinku Singh seems to be the designated finisher in T20I cricket, and he too should be an easy choice.
Hardik Pandya is the Men in Blue's primary all-rounder in the format and will play a key role once again. Axar Patel, meanwhile, will be at the forefront of the team's plans following Ravindra Jadeja's T20I retirement.
India might have to choose between a specialist third fast bowler and Ramandeep Singh, who has received his maiden call-up to the national side. While South African conditions might tempt them to choose the former, batting depth might be a bigger weapon. They could also get an over or two out of Ramandeep if needed.
Tilak Varma, who captained India in the Emerging Asia Cup, is likely to be picked ahead of Jitesh Sharma.
Lower Order: Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy
Varun Chakaravarthy vs Ravi Bishnoi will be an interesting selection debate for India. Both bowlers were impressive against Bangladesh, and the former playing all three T20Is and doing well might tilt the scales in his favor. The visitors might also want a bowler who can chip in at the death if they go in with just two specialist quicks.
Speaking of specialist quicks, Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan should pip Yash Dayal and Vijaykumar Vyshak to spots in the XI. Both Arshdeep and Avesh will need to shoulder death-bowling and powerplay bowling responsibilities.