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Big picture: With India comes the money
Summer is loading in the southern hemisphere. Dezember (with a Z because that’s how we like to say it to convey holiday vibez) is in full swing. The end-of-year parties have started, and cricket will get in on the action with India’s all-format visit, the only men’s international cricket that will take place in South Africa this summer.
These T20Is are the last competitive matches South Africa will play before they have to name their T20 World Cup squad, who will play three matches in the West Indies ahead of the tournament. India have these matches and one more series – against Afghanistan in January – before the T20 World Cup. So the importance of finding combinations is amplified for both teams, although they will also rely on performances in T20 leagues, especially the SA20 and IPL, where their mainstays play.
The fixtures roll in thick and fast, with a one-day gap between each of the T20Is, and two before the ODIs start. By then, South Africa will have entered the belly of the holiday season, with mid-December the time for many to put their feet up, grab a cold one and watch some cricket.
Form guide
South Africa: LLLLW (Last five matches, most recent first)
India: WWLWW
In the spotlight: Reeza Hendricks and Ravi Bishnoi
Team news: New faces for South Africa
Breetzke has been confirmed as Hendricks’ partner at the top of the order, but not as the designated wicketkeeper. That leaves South Africa to choose between Tristan Stubbs and Heinrich Klaasen. There’s a glut of allrounders available, but only two of Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen and Andile Phehlukwayo are likely to play. There could be a debut for Burger, with two spinners to add experience to a young attack.
South Africa (probable): 1 Reeza Hendricks, 2 Matthew Breetzke, 3 Aiden Markam, 4 Tristan Stubbs/Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 5 David Miller, 6 Donovan Ferreira, 7 Marco Jansen/Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi
It remains to be seen whether Deepak Chahar, who had missed the last T20I against Australia because of a medical emergency, is available for the series opener in South Africa. At the top, India will have to pick between the returning Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad. And if India can accommodate just one spinner, there will be a toss-up between Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav
India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Shubman Gill/Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav/Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Arshdeep Singh/Mukesh Kumar
Pitch and conditions
Stats and trivia
- India have won two of their last four T20I series against South Africa, with the other two being drawn. The last time South Africa beat India in a T20I series was in October 2015, when they had won 2-0 in India.
- Arshdeep Singh is India’s leading T20I bowler this year, with 25 wickets at 23.68. From Full-Member countries, he is the second-highest wicket-taker in 2023.
- There’s very little riding on the toss at Kingsmead. In the 19 T20Is played there, teams batting first have won eight, which is exactly the same number as teams batting second. There has been one tie, between India and Pakistan at the 2007 T20 World Cup, with two games washed out.
Quotes
“Building up to the World Cup, there is a lot of cricket before that but not a lot of cricket for us as a team together. But as long as the guys understand the way that we want to try and play as a team, and keep that close to them in different leagues and tournaments, then hopefully by the time we meet up at the World Cup next year, they are used to that brand and to the way we want to operate as a team.”
Aiden Markram is leading South Africa’s entrance into the brave new world of limited bilateral cricket
“The guys who I’m watching right now in the T20s are expressive and they aren’t having a lot of fear of failure.”
Suryakumar Yadav, India’s T20I captain, is in awe of the youngsters in India’s side
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s correspondent for South Africa and women’s cricket
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