T20 World Cup 2022: India's predicted playing XI against South Africa
Team India will look to take a massive step towards the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup when they face South Africa in Perth on Sunday, October 30.
Having beaten Pakistan and the Netherlands, India sit atop the Group B standings of the Super 12 stage. A win over South Africa would all but confirm their place in the semi-finals, especially with favorable match-ups against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh to come. The Men in Blue will not look to make changes to a side that has been winning.
Here is India's predicted playing XI for the T20 World Cup Super 12 clash against South Africa.
Openers: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul
Rohit Sharma made a welcome contribution in difficult conditions to bat against the Netherlands, compiling a well-paced fifty. His partner KL Rahul, though, failed to deliver once again.
Rahul is running out of time to prove his worth to India's T20I side, especially against quality opposition on the big stages. The opener should keep his place in the side for the foreseeable future but he simply needs to deliver on Sunday.
Middle order: Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Dinesh Karthik (wk)
Virat Kohli has been India's main man thus far, having made two unbeaten fifties and appearing to be close to his best. The former skipper will look to keep his good run going against South Africa, with his pace-hitting ability being one of India's key assets in Perth.
Accompanying Kohli in the batting order will be Suryakumar Yadav, who made batting look incredibly easy against the Netherlands, as he almost always does. SKY, like Kohli, will need to bring out his full range of strokes against pace.
Dinesh Karthik, India's finisher, should bat lower down the order but is penciled in here for the sake of clarity. Another talented pace-hitter, DK could make his first meaningful contribution of the T20 World Cup on Sunday.
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel
Hardik Pandya didn't have much to do against the Netherlands, bowling just one over and not batting. As India's fourth pacer, Hardik will need to be more involved with the ball in Perth.
Axar Patel, meanwhile, rebounded from his poor outing against Pakistan with an excellent spell against the Dutch. The left-arm spinner remains a key cog in Team India's wheel and his tendency to extract bounce could come in handy against South Africa.
Bowlers: Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar
India's bowling attack has delivered thus far and they have no need to make changes. Ravichandran Ashwin will be of vital importance against the Proteas' left-handers, while the pace department will welcome the extra zip they're bound to generate at the Optus Stadium.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has bowled 30 dot balls in seven overs at the T20 World Cup, while Arshdeep Singh has picked up five wickets already. Mohammad Shami has done his bit too, but can the trio match the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje on Sunday?