INDvsSA: India's best probable XI for South Africa T20Is

The Indian Premier League as always has been the best platform for many cricketers. This time, with 10 teams battling out, the players have taken the golden opportunity to shine at the grandest stage. With the BCCI selection committee aiming for trying out the best possible combination of players, they have selected the T20 squad for the series against South Africa. KL Rahul has been appointed as the skipper of the side. And with him, we have Rishabh as his deputy. The squad looks promising as it has the best performers from the IPL. Now, it is up to the players to shine in front of full capacity stadiums. We have compiled the best possible eleven for the T20 series and this team if on the song, can demolish any attack. Let us have a look at the best T20 XI for the South Africa series: 1. KL Rahul (Captain) KL Rahul vs KKR. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) After Virat Kohli resigned as the skipper of the side, KL was appointed as the deputy to Rohit Sharma. Rahul’s maturity is what makes him a captain on this side. As always, he has been in decent touch with the bat. Rahul will ensure that there is stability at the top. If required, he can attack as per the conditions as well. It will be interesting to see how he paces his innings as the skipper for the national team. This is mainly because people have accused him of being a stat padder. But, we all know how dangerous he can be if he gets his touch. Apart from that, he is an excellent fielder as well. 2. Ruturaj Gaikwad Ruturaj Gaikwad. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) The 2021 Orange Cap winner had a shaky start to the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League. And without any doubt, this affected CSK as a squad. This is mainly because Gaikwad’s form was one of the most crucial factors for CSK to succeed. But, even after having a shaky start, Gaikwad went on to score 368 runs in 14 games. Alongside Robin Uthappa and Devon Conway, he formed a formidable partnership in a few games. His selection as an opener might open the door for him. The door we are talking about is Team India’s squad to the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup. Gaikwad’s highest score in this year’s IPL is 99. This shows that, even if he is having a bad time, he can find his touch within a few games. 3. Shreyas Iyer Shreyas Iyer (Photo source: Twitter) Shreyas Iyer’s presence at number three on this side brings some stability. Not mainly because he plays cautiously, but he can bat maturely. Iyer’s maturity can be deduced from the fact that he was appointed as KKR ‘s captain this year in the IPL. Even though misuse of resources resulted in KKR’s elimination, Iyer can be their leader for a long time. Adding on, his performance against Sri Lanka is proof that he can play attacking cricket if needed. In 36 T20I games, Iyer has scored 809 runs at a strike rate of 141.43. Apart from that, he has a decent average of 36.77. He has seriously scaled up and should be used as a number three batsman in the series against South Africa. 4. Deepak Hooda Deepak Hooda. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Just after the second wicket, we would like Deepak Hooda to occupy the crease. Well, his selection was justified as he had a brilliant group league phase with LSG in IPL 2022. There is no doubt that if he performs well, he can join the 50 overs side as well. Hooda has already played 15 games this season. He is one of the main reasons why LSG qualified for the playoffs. In 14 innings, he scored 451 runs with a decent strike rate of 136.66. Adding on, he was the rescuer for KL Rahul’s side on a few occasions. His part-time off-spin can be of great use as well for Team India. In crunch games, when a captain needs someone to bowl, Hooda can be a decent option. Combined with his all-round skills, his fielding is also one of the finest in the country. 5. Rishabh Pant (WK) Rishabh Pant. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images) Rishabh Pant will go down as one of the most attacking wicketkeeper batters in the history of the game. And the fact that he has been doing this at the age of 24, means he has a lot to come. It will be interesting to see how he plays against South Africa. On some occasions, he will need to defend and play as per the situation. But, given the fact that he is known to play freely, he will surely attack the Proteas bowlers. Pant’s approach to the game is unique. With 98 IPL games and 43 T20Is, he has been a dependable wicket-keeper batsman. Although he has been at the receiving end of criticism on a few occasions, he has improved his game drastically over the last couple of years. 6. Dinesh Karthik Dinesh Karthik. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) “Experience” is the word that comes to mind when one hears about Dinesh Karthik. Just before the start of the season, no one would have believed that he would go on to make a comeback to the national side. But, his determination has unlocked all the doors and he could well be included in the side for the T20 World Cup later this year. For RCB, DK has been phenomenal in IPL 2022. In 16 games so far, he has scored 330 runs while batting down the order. There were numerous occasions when RCB was in a desperate situation, but DK’s efforts have pulled them back. He has an average of 55.00 in this year’s IPL. With a phenomenal strike rate of 183.33, he has been smoking runs all around the park. It will be interesting to see if Karthik can replicate his IPL form in the international arena. 7. Hardik Pandya Hardik Pandya. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) With an immense amount of self-belief, Hardik Pandya has finally made a comeback to the national side. This time, he is fitter and better. South Africa should be wary of the fact that this all-rounder can single-handedly turn the game around with either of his skills. After taking up the captaincy role for Gujarat Titans in the IPL, Pandya has improved drastically as a cricketer. In 14 games, he has mustered 453 runs at an average of 45.30 including a best score of 87 not out. With the ball, he has picked 5 wickets, but that should not be a problem. He has been economical and is bowling quick. Even if he bowls 2-3 overs, that should be more than enough for Team India. Adding on, he is an excellent fielder as well. 8. Axar Patel Axar Patel. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Slowly and steadily, Axar Patel is becoming Jadeja’s backup for Team India. In-home conditions, he has been so brilliant that the selection committee has decided to pick Axar who is the third spinner in the squad. This time around, it is time to show that he has the fuel to be a good backup option in case Jadeja is unavailable. Axar has played 122 IPL games and has scored 1135 runs with a decent strike rate of 128.83. In T20Is, he has not gotten many chances to put a mark, but he can be a decent contributor down the order. He has played a few crucial knocks for the Delhi Capitals with his hard-hitting abilities. With the ball, Axar has an economy rate of 7.25 in the IPL. Talking about T20Is, he has bowled at an economy rate of 6.7 and picked 13 wickets in 15 games. These numbers showcase his mettle and prove that he can be a match-winner for Team India. 9. Harshal Patel Harshal Patel. (Photo Source: Twitter/Indian Premier League) If a team has got a bowler who can pick wickets regularly and can swing the bat, then that team has got some serious batting depth. And with Harshal’s presence in the lower order, Team India looks stronger. It will be interesting to see how he bowls alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar. After making his debut for Team India, Harshal has been in decent touch for RCB as well. Since last year, he has developed a habit of picking wickets regularly and that has been the main reason for the selectors to pick him. This year as well, he has done a commendable job despite the personal loss. Patel has been bowling with an economy of less than 9, which is acceptable given the fact that the T20 format is cruel to the bowlers. Now, with regular selections, Harshal is growing in confidence and everyone is expecting him to deliver match after match. His fielding skills also make him a better choice than the rest of the bowlers. 10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar Bhuvneshwar Kumar. (Photo Source: Getty Images) After dealing with injuries and disappointments, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has finally made it to the national side. The main reason being he is the only bowler in the SRH unit to perform exceptionally well. His skills were on full display when he managed to drag SRH to victory against MI. In that game, he bowled the best over of the tournament. A maiden 19th over sealed the game for Hyderabad. Time and time again, Kumar has shown that he is a valuable asset for any team he plays. He should make it to the national side and should board the plane to Australia later this year as well. He is too good a player to miss out and should perform as per the expectations in the South Africa series as well. Adding on, he brings a huge amount of experience and calmness to the side as well. 11. Yuzvendra Chahal Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Yuzvendra Chahal’s omission from the national side in the T20 World Cup 2021 was a disaster for Team India. They missed his services and as a result, performed poorly against Pakistan and New Zealand. This time around, the selectors are making sure that Chahal makes it to the squad regularly. In 130 IPL games, he has picked up 165 wickets with an economy rate of 7.64. The leggie is never afraid to toss the delivery up to outfox the batters. This makes him a dangerous bowler in this format. Chahal’s experience will also come into play when he bowls to relatively inexperienced South African batters. He can toss the ball and is never hesitant to bowl flighted deliveries even after getting smacked. This makes him a valuable asset in any condition.

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INDvsSA: India's best probable XI for South Africa T20Is

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