The Men in Blue is finally back with the return of international cricket to India after the IPL. India will face South Africa in the first of the five matches of the T20 home series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Rishabh Pant will lead the Indian team. KL Rahul, who was to lead the side, was ruled out of the T20I series due to a right groin injury. Rahul was slated to lead the team in the absence of full-time skipper Rohit Sharma, who was rested for the series along with Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah.
Meanwhile, South Africa came into the competition with a full-strength team comprising Quinton de Kock, David Miller and Kagiso Rabada.
Read also | KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav ruled out of IND vs SA T20I series due to injuries, Rishabh Pant ready to lead
The Indian selectors have avoided making major changes to the team on the basis of IPL form and have retained Ishan Kishan and Venkatesh Iyer despite a poor season. However, fast bowlers Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh have got India’s first call as a reward for their IPL performance.
The last time the two teams faced off for a bilateral series, South Africa beat India in both Tests and ODIs at home. With the home edge now in India’s favour, captain Rishabh Pant and head coach Rahul Dravid will be hoping to avenge the previous defeat.
India will maintain a clean sweep when they play international cricket for the last time against West Indies. For South Africa, the form of David Miller, Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada will be crucial.
weather report
The weather of Delhi is expected to be mainly clear on Thursday. It is highly unlikely that rain will play poorly during the India vs South Africa T20I match as there is zero chance of rain. The wind speed is expected to be around 13 km/h on match day while the temperature could be around 32 to 42 degree Celsius. Humidity is expected to be around 18 per cent.
pitch report
The pitch at Arun Jaitley Stadium is usually on the slow side and spinners are likely to be on the upper edge. However, short ranges and a quick outfield will kind of be level. The team bowling first will try to limit the opposition to below 160 as anything above that can be a daunting task when chasing.
The first T20 match of the five-match series between India and South Africa will be played on June 9 at 7 pm at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
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