IND vs SA prediction: Who will win today’s 1st T20I match?
Hosts India and South Africa will meet in the first T20I on June 9, 2022, Thursday, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. This will be followed by four T20Is, as it is a five-match series. It is expected to be an exciting set of games with plenty of superstars on either side.
For hosts India, this is their first international assignment since the completion of IPL 2022. They will be without a few senior players for this series. Rishabh Pant is all set to lead India for the first time in his career.
Quite a few cricketers have done well in the IPL and will want to replicate the same on the international stage as well. India are on a 12-match winning streak in T20I cricket and will look to carry out their unbeaten and dominant run in the recent past.
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South Africa, on the other hand, will be led by Temba Bavuma. They last played white-ball cricket (ODIs) in March against Bangladesh, where they lost the series 1-2. The visitors also have several players in their squad who put up good performances for their respective franchises in the recently concluded IPL 2022.
For the record, South Africa have never lost a T20I series in India and will want to redeem themselves in white-ball cricket with another series win this time around as well.
Given that it is the first game of the series, both sides will look to work out their combinations and at the same time, start on a winning note. We can certainly expect a thrilling contest with two quality sides going head-to-head in this game.
Will South Africa (SA) beat India (IND)?
South Africa will face a stiff challenge in this game as they also have a relatively changed side for this series. They haven’t played T20I cricket since last November and aren’t in great form in ODI cricket either. However, they do have some players who did well in the IPL 2022, which should give them confidence coming into this series. However, they will have to find the right combination first up.
"We obviously want to win the series" - Lungi Ngidi ahead of the opening T20I against India
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India, on the other hand, are on a 12-match winning streak in T20I cricket. While the side may seem inexperienced, the players are coming off a good IPL 2022 season. India also inflicted a 3-0 whitewash in their previous T20I series against Sri Lanka.
With the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, there is enough experience with a good mix of some new faces in the side.
Playing at home, the conditions are also expected to favor the hosts and India are very likely to start the series off with a win over South Africa.
Prediction: India (IND) to win this clash.