India vs South Africa, 2019: 3-match T20I series – Statistical Preview

South Africa’s tour of India will kick start in Dharamsala on Sunday where the two teams face-off in the first game of 3-match T20I series. Virat Kohli will lead the Indian squad which is similar to the series-winning group on their recent tour of the Caribbean. Quinton de Kock will be taking up the captaincy responsibility for the first time in the T20I format in Faf du Plessis’ absence. India is currently focused on getting bowling options in the shorter format.

All the key stats and numbers that matter ahead of the 3-match T20I series in India:

0 – Number of T20Is that India won at home against the Saffers. India faced South Africa twice during the series in 2015 and lost both while batting first.

7 – Junior Dala was the leading wicket-taker for South Africa in T20Is against India when he played the home series in 2018. During that series, Dala bagged seven wickets from only three matches. Only Ravichandran Ashwin (10) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (8) took more wickets in India-SA T20Is than Dala.

8 – India and South Africa faced off in 13 T20Is till date with India winning in 8 while the Proteas came out victorious in the remaining five. Only against Australia (8), the South Africans have lost more T20I matches.

11 – Quinton de Kock is set to become the 11th captain of South Africa in the T20I format. The keeper-batsman has led the Proteas in two ODIs during the 2018 series in Sri Lanka; both resulting in defeats for the visitors. He never led any team in his professional career apart from those ODI matches.

13 – MS Dhoni is the only player to feature in all the 13 T20I matches between India and South Africa. This meant the upcoming series will be the first in T20I for India without MS Dhoni in the playing XI against South Africa.

14.83 – Khaleel Ahmed has a bowling average of 14.83 in the Twenty20 format in 2019. The left-arm pacer has picked up 36 wickets from 18 T20s this year at a strike rate of 11. His 36 wickets are the joint 5th most by any bowler and the joint 2nd most among pacers in 2019 T20s.

48.36 – Rassie van der Dussen averages 48.36 in Twenty20s in 2019. The South African scored 532 runs from 14 innings with help of five fifties this year. He smashed 27 fours and 27 sixes on the due course.

50.71 – As many as 30 players have scored over 600 T20 runs this year but only four average more than 50 including KL Rahul. The Indian top-order batsman has scored 710 runs in only 17 T20 innings this year with help of an unbeaten hundred and seven fifties.

96 – Rohit Sharma will become India’s most capped T20I player if he features in all three matches in this series. He has played 96 T20Is till date; the 4th most by any player in Men’s T20I cricket.

341 – Runs Rohit Sharma has scored in the T20I format against South Africa; the most by any player in IND-SA T20Is. The Indian opener amassed 341 runs from ten innings at an average of 37.88. He scored his maiden T20I ton against the Proteas during the 2015 T20I in Dharamsala, which will host the first T20I on Sunday.

947 – Shreyas Iyer is the leading run-getter among the Indian players in the Twenty20 format in 2019. Iyer scored 947 runs from 26 T20s at an average of 41.17. He has smashed two tons including the highest individual T20 score by an Indian of 147 this year. Shreyas hit 50 maximums which are also the most by any Indian in 2019 T20s.