Team India will face South Africa in the first T20I match on Thursday, June 9 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

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India vs South Africa: 1st T20I Match Preview

Match Details:-

Match: India vs South Africa – 1st T20I
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
Date & Time: 9th June 2022 at 7 PM (IST)
Where to Watch Live: Star Sports Network & Disney+Hotstar.

Pitch Report: India vs South Africa: 1st T20I Preview

Pitch Report: It's one of the fastest wickets in India where seamers will get plenty of assistance having said the batters will complete value for their shots. It's much easier to bat in the latter half of the match and hence bowling first is a better option.

Also Read: IND vs SA: KL Rahul ruled out of the T20I series, Rishabh Pant to lead

Head to Head Stats:

Matches Played: 2 (in India)
Won by India: 2
Won by South Africa: 2

Injury News:

KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav have been ruled out of the five-match T20I series due to different injuries. Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant will be the new captain for India while Hardik Pandya will be the vice-captain.

Read Also: IND vs SA: Youngest to Lead India in all formats

Team News: 1st T20I

India:

Team India is looking for a fresh start against the Africans with a new squad for the series. Captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli aren't in the squad KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav have been ruled out of the five-match T20I series due to different injuries. Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant will be the new captain for India while Hardik Pandya will be the vice-captain. India will welcome back Dinesh Karthik to their hut for the first time since 2018.

India will also closely watch how Hardik Pandya performs as the all-rounder showed immense poise and leadership qualities in IPL 2022 while leading Gujarat Titans to the title. In the year of T20 World Cup 2022, India also received a major boost as Hardik bowled quite well in the IPL 2022 and it will add to India's team balance.

Also Read: "He is a young boy who is learning all the time": Dravid on Umran Malik

South Africa:

South Africa will assemble as a team for a T20I series for the first time after the T20 World Cup last year. Though, many of their players have already been in the T20 mode, thanks to the IPL. Heinrich Klaasen makes a return to the SA T20I setup after a long time. It's a great chance for the South African side to make it count against India, as Rohit and Virat are missing the series.

India vs South Africa: 1st T20I: Possible Playing XI

India:

Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ishan Kishan
Shreyas Iyer
Rishabh Pant (C & wk)
Dinesh Karthik
Hardik Pandya
Axar Patel
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Harshal Patel
Yuzvendra Chahal
Avesh Khan

South Africa:

Quinton de Kock (wk)
Reeza Hendricks
Rassie van der Dussen
Aiden Markram
Temba Bavuma (Captain)
David Miller
Dwaine Pretorious
Kagiso Rabada
Keshav Maharaj
Tabraiz Shamsi
Anrich Nortje

Read Also: "Roles might be different," Rahul Dravid hints Hardik Pandya might be the finisher despite doing well at the top

1st T20I: Fantasy Cricket Dream11 Team Prediction: India vs South Africa:

You must change your team if any of these players aren't announced in the starting lineup.

In the second Test being played between India and Australia, the Indian captain Rohit Sharma was out after scoring just 3 runs off 23 balls in the first innings. He was dismissed by Scott Boland in the first inning, which raised the question on his test form again.

In the last 11 Test innings, Rohit has not been able to score any big runs. Rohit was unavailable for the first test and joined the team for the second test after the birth of his new born son. However, he was not back at his favourite position as KL Rahul's good show at the top of the order made him come down to middle order for the pink ball test.

Also Read: Most five-wicket hauls amongst left-arm pacers in Tests

To evaluate Hitman’s performance, it’s important to examine Rohit Sharma's scores in the last 10 Test innings and analyze what the statistics reveal.

Rohit Sharma's scores | Last 10 Matches

In the last 11 innings, Rohit Sharma's scores have been 6, 5, 23, 8, 2, 52, 0, 8,18, 11, and 3. During this period his average has been only 12.36. He scored his last Test century (103) against England in March 2024 in the fifth Test of the home series. 

37-year-old batter has played 12 tests in the year 2024 and only scored 91 runs in 22 innings at an average of 28.14 with 2 centuries and 2 half-centuries to his name. Rohit needs to improve his performance to prove that he still has cricket left in him and can be an asset in the crucial Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2025.

Read Also: Most Runs for India in Pink Ball Test

Rohit Sharma's Test Career

Rohit played his first test match in 2013 against the West Indies. He has played 65 matches for India so far and scored 4,273 runs in 112 innings at an average of 41.89.

He has scored 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries with his bat in the longest format. His best score has been 212and he has scored the most runs (1,1147) in his Test career against England.

In Test cricket, just as a batsman's century is considered important, similarly a bowler's 5 wicket haul is also seen as an achievement. In the second test match being played between Australia and India in Adelaide, the Indian Cricket Team was reduced to only 180 runs. For Australia, Mitchell Starc bowled strongly and took 6 wickets. This is Starc's best performance in an innings in Test. He took 6 wickets for 48 runs in 14.1 overs. Starc has taken five or more wickets against India for the first time in Test. With this, Starc moves to 15 five-wicket hauls in Tests, only behind legendary Wasim Akram. Let's take a look at the top 4 left-arm pacers with most five-wicket hauls.

Also Read: Most Wickets for India in Pink Ball Test

Most five-wicket hauls in Test | Top 4 left-arm pacers

1# Wasim Akram | 25

Wasim Akram, considered one of the greatest left-arm fast bowlers of all time, has the most five-wicket hauls amongst left-arm pacers in Tests. He took 25 five-wicket hauls in 181 innings of 104 Test matches for Pakistan. He was renowned for his swing and the 'Sultan of Swing' played Test cricket from 1985-2002 claiming 414 Test wickets.

2# Mitchell Starc | 15*

Star Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc surpassed former Australian pacer Alan Davidson in most five-wicket hauls amongst left-arm pacers in Tests. He took 15 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket. Having played 91 games, he has picked a total of 367 wickets at an average of 27.53. 226 of his wickets have come at home at 26. Earlier this year, Starc became only the fifth Australian bowler to achieve 350 wickets in Test cricket. He joined an elite list that includes the legendary Shane Warne and Brett Lee.

3# Alan Davidson | 14

Australia’s Alan Davidson was magnificent between 1953 and 1963, with injuries unfortunately costing him more matches. In 44 Tests, the left-arm pace bowler took a brilliant 14 five-wicket hauls, part of his 186 wickets at an average of 20.53. He also scored 1,328 Test runs at an average of 24.59. Davidson starred in the 1960 tied Test against West Indies. He took 11 wickets (5/135 and 6/87) and was magnificent with the bat as well (44 and 80). A true superstar of the game.

4# Chaminda Vaas | 12

Chaminda Vaas, a former Sri Lankan cricketer and current fast bowling coach of the Sri Lankan team, took 12 five-wicket hauls and twice 10 wickets in a match. Vaas, who made his Test debut against Pakistan at Kandy in 1994, claimed 354 wickets at an average of 29.40. He has a total of 16 five-wicket hauls to his name, with twelve in Tests and four in ODIs. 

Indian team batsman Abhishek Sharma performed brilliantly in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and scored a century in just 28 balls against Meghalaya. With this, Abhishek has jointly become the second batsman to score the fastest century in the T20 format. in this article, we will discuss the fastest hundreds in T20s.

Also Read: Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Shreyas Gopal gets hat-trick against Baroda; enters list of elites with most T20 hat-tricks

Fastest Hundreds in T20s

1# Sahil Chauhan (2024) | 27 Balls

Sahil Chauhan of Estonia holds the record of fastest hundreds in T20s. Chauhan scored a century against Cyprus in just 27 balls in the year 2024. In this match, Sahil had scored unbeaten 144 runs in 41 balls with the help of 6 fours and 18 sixes. His strike rate was 351.21. Sahil Chauhan had created a world record by playing this historic innings in the second innings.

2# 𝗔𝗯𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗸 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗮 (2024) | 28 Balls

Indian Cricket Team batter Abhishek Sharma smashed a 28-ball century featuring for Punjab against Meghalaya. Sharma joined Urvil Patel to hit the joint fastest hundreds in T20s. The southpaw amassed 106 (29), which featured eight fours and eleven sixes. With 11 sixes against Meghalaya, Abhishek also broke Suryakumar Yadav's record for most sixes in a calendar year by an Asian batter in T20s. Sharma has 87 sixes, two more than SKY. 

3# Urvil Patel (2024) | 28 Balls

While playing for Gujarat in Syed Mushtaq Trophy 2024 against Tripura, Urvil Patel has done a wonderful job by scoring a century in 28 balls in T-20. Urvil has become the batsman to score the joined fastest century in T-20 for India. The right-handed batter made an unbeaten 113 off 35 balls with seven fours and 12 sixes.

4# Chris Gayle (2013) | 30 Balls

West Indies batsman Chris Gayle, while playing for the RCB team in 2013, made a record of scoring a century on only 30 balls in the IPL match against Pune Warriors and finished on 175 not out. Gayle also holds the record of hitting fastest century in Indian Premier League. Gayle blasted 17 sixes and 13 fours off just 66 deliveries.

5# Rishabh Pant (2018) | 32 Balls

Indian team's wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant, while playing for Delhi in the Syed Mushtaq Trophy in 2018, scored a century in only 32 balls in the match against Himachal Pradesh. Pant is now the fifth fastest batsman to score fastest hundreds in T20s. He finished with an unbeaten 38-ball 116. Pant made 104 of his runs in boundaries with 12 sixes and eight fours.

Pink Ball Test, a five-day match contested under lights like a One Day International, was first held in November 2015 after a lot of trials in First-Class cricket across the globe. Day-Night Test was introduced to add more to the longer format as white-ball especially the T20s has taken over the game with crowds preferring the shorter format.

Also Read: Most Runs for India in Pink Ball Test

India are set to play their second Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide. After winning the Perth Test match by a massive margin of 295 runs, India will face Australia against the pink ball, under lights. So before the start of the series, let's take a look at the Indian bowlers who took the most wickets in the Pink Ball Test. 

1# Ravichandran Ashwin | 18 Wickets

Ravichandran Ashwin is the highest wicket taker for India in the pink ball test. He appeared in all 4 of India's matches, taking 18 wickets at an average of 13.83. In his Test career, he played 105 matches, in which he took 536 wickets at an average of 23.95. Meanwhile, he has taken 5 wickets in 37 innings. Ashwin did not play in the first Test of the current series.

2# Axar Patel | 14 Wickets

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel has played only 2 matches with the pink ball, taking 14 wickets with a strong average of 9.14. In 2021, he took a total of 11 wickets in the day-night test played against England in Ahmedabad. He took 5 wickets in both the innings. In his Test career so far, Axar has taken 55 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 19.34.

3# Umesh Yadav | 11 Wickets

Indian fast bowler Umesh Yadav has also had a strong performance in the day-night test. The Indian fast bowler has taken 11 wickets in 2 matches with an excellent average of 15.54. In his Test career, Umesh has played 57 matches, in which he has taken 170 wickets at an average of 30.95. He is currently out of the Indian team. Umesh played his last Test in 2023.

4# Jasprit Bumrah | 10 Wickets

Jasprit Bumrah, who led the Indian team on the first test, has taken 10 wickets in the pink ball test. Bumrah has taken 10 wickets in 3 day-night tests. He took 5 wicket haul against Sri Lanka. Bumrah is currently on Australia tour. He took a total of 8 wickets in the first Perth Test of the series.

5# Ishant Sharma | 10 Wickets

Ishant Sharma has also taken 10 wickets each in the Pink Ball Test. Ishant took 10 wickets in 2 tests. He took a total of 9 wickets in the match against Bangladesh. He is currently out of the Indian team. Ishant played his last Test in 2021.

Pink Ball Test, a five-day match contested under lights like a One Day International, was first held in November 2015 after a lot of trials in First-Class cricket across the globe. Day-Night Test was introduced to add more to the longer format as white-ball especially the T20s has taken over the game with crowds preferring the shorter format.

Also Read: Border–Gavaskar Trophy: India's record in Pink Ball Test

India are set to play their second Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide. After winning the Perth Test match by a massive margin of 295 runs, India will face Australia against the pink ball, under lights. So before the start of the series, let's take a look at the Indian batters who scored the most runs in the Pink Ball Test. 

1# Virat Kohli | 277 Runs

Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli has a fine record against the pink-ball, having played all of India's four pink-ball matches so far. He leads the scoring chart in pink ball Test cricket for India. In six innings so far, he has scored 277 runs at an average of 46.16, with a century and fifty. His knock of 136* against Bangladesh in 2019 at Kolkata is the only century by an Indian in a pink-ball Test.

After having overcome a lean patch of form with a century at Perth, Virat would be raring to continue his golden run in Australia and at the Adelaide Oval.

2# Rohit Sharma | 173 Runs

Indian team captain Rohit Sharma comes second on the list scoring just one half-century in Pink Ball Tests, accumulating 173 runs in five matches at an average of 39. This will be Rohit Sharma’s first Day-Night Test match on foreign soil, as all three of his previous Pink Ball Tests were played in India. 

As an opener, Rohit will need to weather the new ball, especially during twilight and night sessions when the pink ball is at its most ferocious. It will be quite interesting to see how Rohit goes about his business in the upcoming game.

3# Shreyas Iyer | 159 Runs

Shreyas Iyer has played just one day-night Test match and has scored 159 runs in it. He put up knocks of 92 and 67 in the second test between India and Sri Lanka in 2022. India were 86/4 after electing to bat. Iyer shone with a blistering 92 off 98 deliveries, whipping 10 fours and four maximums. He played with the tail-enders and was the last man to be dismissed (252/10). India eventually won by 238 runs.

4# Ajinkya Rahane | 100 Runs

Ajinkya Rahane comes in 4th place with 100 runs in 3 matches. Rahane also scored a half-century against Bangladesh in 2019.

5# Cheteshwar Pujara | 98 Runs

Cheteshwar Pujara is 5th on this list. He has amassed just 98 runs in 3 day-night Test matches. Pujara put up knocks of 55 and 43 against Bangladesh and Australia respectively.