2025/26 T20I Collection Kickoff: India vs South Africa – Match Preview

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Since contesting a nail-biting T20 World Cup closing in 2024, India and South Africa have gone in numerous instructions in T20Is. India have arguably grow to be an excellent higher staff since lifting that trophy, reaching a 26-4 document (24 outright wins and two Tremendous Over wins) with a model of play completely suited to the circumstances they’ll defend their title in February-March 2026. South Africa, in the meantime, have received 9 and misplaced 16 of their T20Is since that day in Barbados.

India have a largely settled aspect within the lead-up to the 2026 event, with most of their gamers having fun with a way of continuity and position readability. The identical cannot be stated for South Africa. Over latest months, they’ve misplaced maybe their most feared T20I participant, Heinrich Klaasen, to retirement, and have been with out different key gamers for damage and workload-management causes. In that point, they’ve misplaced sequence to Australia and Pakistan in addition to a one-off match to Namibia, and have become, in opposition to England at Outdated Trafford, the primary staff to concede a 300-plus complete in a Full-Member-vs-Full-Member T20I.

South Africa, in brief, have quite a lot of work to do between now and February 9, once they start their World Cup marketing campaign in opposition to Canada in Ahmedabad. That work will start with one of many hardest assignments they might face on this format, in opposition to a full-strength India in India. However they do not have an excessive amount of to lose on this sequence, and loads of expertise and information to achieve from enjoying 5 matches in circumstances just like what they’re going to face at that event.

Type information

India WWLWW (final 5 accomplished T20Is, most up-to-date first)
South Africa LLWLL

Within the highlight – Hardik Pandya and Dewald Brevis

Because the begin of 2024, India have received 25 of their 28 T20Is outright when Hardik Pandya has been of their aspect, shedding two and tying one. That tie, in opposition to Sri Lanka at this 12 months’s Asia Cup, coincided with Hardik going off the sphere injured after bowling only one over. When Hardik hasn’t been obtainable, India have 9 wins, two losses and two ties. India are nonetheless a formidable aspect with out Hardik, however they lose fairly a little bit of the near-invincible aura they’ve in any other case in-built T20Is. Hardik balances the staff superbly, giving them the cheat code of batting all the way in which to No. 8 whereas having six real bowling choices. He is again now, after recovering from the quadriceps problem that stored him out of the Australia tour, and India are at just about full power.

Since his debut in August 2023, no batter on the planet (minimal 50 balls confronted vs spin) has been extra damaging in opposition to spin than Dewald Brevis, who has achieved a T20I strike fee of 225.00 in opposition to this fashion of bowling whereas averaging 60.00. Brevis comes into the T20Is in prime kind, having performed essential knocks in all three ODIs, and he comes up in opposition to an India assault that may embrace three – probably even 4 – spinners. It ought to make for an exhilarating contest.

Crew information

With Hardik and Shubman Gill – who returns for the primary time since struggling a neck damage throughout the Kolkata Take a look at – again, India have two primary choice questions to deal with: whether or not Jitesh Sharma, who displaced Sanju Samson throughout the Australia tour, continues as keeper, and who will get the No. 8 slot, with three candidates bringing three completely totally different skillsets to that position.

India (possible): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Jitesh Sharma/Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Harshit Rana/Washington Sundar/Shivam Dube, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Varun Charavarthy, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.

South Africa’s abnormal latest document in T20Is is somewhat misleading, as a result of they’ve seldom had their finest gamers on the pitch. This sequence could give us our first glimpse of the sort of XI they’re hoping to play on the World Cup, with Aiden Markram again to steer the aspect after being rested from the T20Is in Pakistan, and with David Miller and Anrich Nortje again from damage. Two factors of curiosity are whether or not Markram opens or bats at No. 3, and whether or not South Africa decide a second left-arm spinner within the allrounder George Linde. And maybe the surest indication of South Africa’s latest unsettledness is that Donovan Ferreira, who captained them in Pakistan, is much from sure to begin in Cuttack.

South Africa: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Aiden Markram (capt), 3 Reeza Hendricks, 4 Dewald Brevis, 5 David Miller, 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Corbin Bosch/George Linde, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Anrich Nortje.

Pitch and circumstances

South Africa have featured in two of the three T20Is Cuttack has hosted, and received each of them. They bowled India out for 92 in 2015, in a match marred by crowd hassle, and received a better sport by six wickets, seven years later, due to a 46-ball 81 from Heinrich Klaasen.

Circumstances right here are likely to have one thing for everybody: a little bit of early assist for the seamers, a little bit of grip for the spinners, and usually loads of dew to complicate bowlers’ lives. Tuesday night in Cuttack is ready to be overcast and hazy, although rain-free.

Stats and trivia

Jasprit Bumrah (99) and Hardik Pandya (98) are nearby of their one centesimal T20I wickets. Arshdeep Singh (105) is the one India bowler to have gotten to that mark up to now.

Tilak Varma (996) and Sanju Samson (995) are each only one hit away from 1000 T20I runs.

Of all of the batters to have scored 1000 runs in T20Is, Abhishek Sharma has the very best strike fee (189.51).

Quotes

“It is T20 cricket. It is an entertaining format and that is the model and the way in which we wish to play. We would like guys to free themselves up, benefit from the sport, let their finest expertise be on present. Hopefully if we put a collective effort collectively, the end result might be an excellent one. It is simply an thrilling time. T20 cricket is all the time meant to be thrilling and we’re wanting ahead to that.”
South Africa captain Aiden Markram

Karthik Krishnaswamy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

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