South Africa vs India, 4th T20I: Preview and stats
India will take on South Africa in the fourth T20I on Friday, with the series tilted in India's favor. The team's performance has been hit-or-miss, despite centuries from Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma. Questions have been raised over Rinku Singh's batting position and recent form. Johannesburg's Wanderers 'Bull Ring,' a venue where India has tasted success in the past, will host this decider. Here's more.
Suryakumar Yadav will hope to score crucial runs
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav will hope to be amongst the runs. He has faltered in the ongoing series, scoring 21, 4 and 1 respectively. In his last 10 T20I innings, Suryakumar has managed only two fifties. Notably, the last time he scored a hundred was at the Wanderers back in December 2023. Suryakumar owns 7,743 runs in T20s, including 2,570 for India at 40.79.
Rinku Singh's form and batting position under scrutiny
Rinku has been out of form lately. His number six and seven batting position in the ongoing series against South Africa has only produced 28 runs from three games. This is alarming considering the number of balls (34) he has faced. The team management, including SKY and interim head coach VVS Laxman, are cognizant of this. Rinku scored 8 runs in the third encounter on Wednesday.
India's team combination for the final T20I
India have used 12 of their 15 players in the first three games of this series. It remains to be seen if uncapped pacers Yash Dayal or Vysakh Vijaykumar will debut in the final game. India could also try out wicketkeeper batter Jitesh Sharma and rest Sanju Samson, who recorded successive ducks following a fiery hundred in the opener. The final match could be an opportunity for SKY to test Ramandeep Singh's steady medium pace and fielding skills.
India's probable XI
India probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh.
Heinrich Klaasen closing in on 1,000 runs for SA
Heinrich Klaasen is closing in on 1,000 runs for the Proteas. He has amassed 980 runs at 23.90 from 55 matches (50 innings). Hardik Pandya owns 88 scalps for India in T20Is. Pandya has played 108 games, averaging 26.84. His economy rate is 8.34. He is two shy of becoming the third Indian pacer to take 90-plus scalps in T20Is.
H2H record and pitch report
The two sides have played 30 matches to date. India have claimed 17 wins to South Africa's 12 (NR: 1). The Wanderers promise a batting friendly surface. The average score of the first innings here is 151+ with the team batting second having an advantage. Moisture in the surface could assist the bowlers if it rains. However, no rain is predicted on Friday.
Key details of the match
The India vs South Africa 4th T20I match will be streamed on Jio Cinema and telecast on the Sports18 and Sports18 HD channels on November 15, Wednesday from 8:30pm IST.
