South Africa vs India 1st T20I: Probable Playing XI
What's the story
After wrapping up the ODI series with a comfortable 5-1 margin, India will shift gears as the action turns to T20Is. 1st T20I will be played at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday. Kohli & Co. will look to continue their dominance and a victory in 1st game could propel them to number two spot in T20 rankings. Here's our predicted playing XI.
Data
India could be number one team across all formats
A series whitewash could make India the number one team in the shortest format of the game, given Australia don't win the on-going Tri-Nation T20I tournament. If this happens, India will hold the top spot across all the 3 formats.
Comeback
Raina returns to the T20I fold
Suresh Raina, who last played a T20 international in February 2017 against England, is making a comeback to the squad. Despite his impressive 63 off 45 against England, he was dropped for the Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia series citing lack of fitness. He had failed to clear the Yo-Yo endurance test.
Batting line-up
Onus on top 3 to give India a start
Rohit and Dhawan are likely to open the batting for India, with Kohli walking in next. T20I centurion, Suresh Raina will most likely be a part of the playing XI. Manish Pandey should get the nod ahead of KL Rahul and Pandya should retain his spot despite his poor form. Dhoni will continue to be the man behind the stumps.
Bowling line-up
Is this India's best bowling attack?
India's bowling has been impressive in the ODIs and Kohli is likely to continue with the same crop. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, who are both excellent death-over bowlers, would be the first names on the team sheet. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will hope to continue their menace in the T20Is.