IND vs SA: 5 Indian players to watch out for in T20I series

India will lock horns with South Africa in the five-match T20I series starting from June 9. The Men in Blue will be led by the limited-overs vice-captain KL Rahul as regular skipper Rohit Sharma has been rested for this series. Nonetheless, a new-look Indian team with a combination of youth and experience would be hoping to register a fourth successive bilateral T20I series win on home soil.

The upcoming series can also mark the debut of pace sensations Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh. Apart from that, finishers Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya would be making their return to the national team. All these players have been rewarded for their outstanding performances in IPL 2022. Without further ado, here’s a look at five Indian players who are expected to make a tremendous impact in the home series.

1. KL Rahul

KL Rahul had a memorable IPL 2022 both with the bat as well as on the field. He led the new franchise Lucknow Super Giants from the front and took them to playoffs. He finished as the second-highest run-scorer this season and also scored 500+ runs in an edition for a fifth successive year. While there were rumors that either Hardik Pandya or Shikhar Dhawan would lead India in this series, the selectors zeroed in on Rahul.

Rahul finished the tournament with  616 runs at an average of 51.33 and a strike rate of 135.38. More importantly, he led LSG to the playoffs where they were knocked out by RCB in the Eliminator.

The Karnataka cricketer would be eager to settle the scores as India were whitewashed under him in the three-match ODI series in South Africa earlier this year.