Former cricketer Aakash Chopra has named his probable playing XI for India’s first T20I match against South Africa in the upcoming four-match series, set to begin at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday, November 8. This marks an exciting rematch, as the two teams face each other in T20 cricket for the first time since India defeated South Africa in the T20 World Cup final on June 29, 2024. India, now led by Suryakumar Yadav, will aim to continue their winning momentum, while South Africa looks to settle the score on home soil.
Chopra, 47, highlighted that either Rinku Singh or Tilak Varma is likely to take the No. 4 spot in India’s batting lineup. Both players have shown impressive performances recently, adding depth to the Indian middle order and offering flexibility to the batting strategy. With Suryakumar at the helm, India will field a balanced team blending experienced players and emerging talents.
“If I look at the XI, there will be a question that will you play Tilak Varma at No. 4 if you play him. You will have to play him because Nitish Kumar Reddy isn’t there and you need some batting depth as well,” Chopra stated on his YouTube channel.
The four-match series will see action across multiple iconic venues in South Africa. After the first T20I at Durban’s Kingsmead, St George’s Park in Gqeberha will host the second T20I on November 10. The series will then move to SuperSport Park in Centurion for the third T20I on November 13.
“So my predicted playing XI is Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, and then either Tilak or Rinku at No. 4, Hardik at No. 5, and then Tilak/Rinku at No. 6. So that makes it your batting till No. 6,” the cricketer-turned-commentator attached.
The fourth and final match is scheduled for November 15 at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. This series provides both teams a platform to assess and strengthen their T20 squad depth and strategies for upcoming tournaments.
- India’s T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.
- South Africa T20I squad: Aiden Markram , Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Patrick Kruger, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Mihlali Mpongwana, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Andile Simelane, Lutho Sipamla , and Tristan Stubbs.
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