India vs South Africa: Five players to watch out for in the T20I series

Amidst all the talks surrounding the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series, India’s T20I side is all set to play four T20Is against South Africa, starting tomorrow. The first game is scheduled to take place on 8th November at Kingsmead in Durban. The cricket-loving nation would fondly remember the memories of the last time when these two sides played against each other. The 2024 T20 World Cup final saw India beat South Africa by the barest of margins. 

Since that encounter, both teams have participated in a few T20I series, although most of the players from their respective T20 World Cup squads were absent for various reasons. South Africa played the T20I series against West Indies and Ireland and lost both. India, on the other hand, toured Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, and hosted Bangladesh for a three-match T20I series. India won all the games except a T20I match against Zimbabwe. 

South Africa would argue that most of the first-choice players were rested, however, the same could be said about the Indian side. Nevertheless, a lot of T20I specialists are back in the Proteas unit and besides, they are playing at home. It will be interesting to see how the two teams fare in the four upcoming fixtures.

Let's take a look at five players to watch out for in the series: 

1. Sanju Samson 

Sanju Samson got the opportunity to open the innings in the last Test series against Bangladesh. After missing out in the first two games, he scored a breathtaking century in the final fixture, smashing 111 off 47. With Rohit Sharma no longer playing in the T20I side, Samson could stake a claim in India’s first-choice eleven. Although, the competition at the top is fierce, having got the likes of Jaiswal, Shubman, and Abhishek Sharma to name a few. 

Samson needs to ensure that he delivers consistently at every opportunity he gets from here. In tough conditions in South Africa, it remains to be seen how Samson absorbs the pressure and comes out on top. 

2. Abhishek Sharma 

Abhishek Sharma took the world by storm with his splendid hitting in the Indian Premier League 2024. He gave his franchise outstanding starts along with Travis Head. However, the southpaw hasn’t been able to replicate similar knocks for the Indian team.

Abhishek has been given consistent opportunities at the top since India’s T20 World Cup triumph. He smashed his maiden T20I ton in only his second game against Zimbabwe. However, runs have dried up since. In his other six innings, he hasn’t been able to cross the 20-run mark on a single occasion. 

Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal should come back into the mix in India’s next T20I assignment after this and Abhishek Sharma needs to ensure that he makes the most of his time with the bat in South Africa. 

3. Henrich Klaasen 

Klaasen, recently, made headlines after being retained by SRH for a massive sum of INR 23 crore. The South African big hitter almost took South Africa to World Cup triumph but Hardik Pandya managed to send him back at a crucial stage in the final. 

He is one player who is likely to rule the shortest format in the next few years, at least. Henrich wasn’t part of the squad that played against Ireland in UAE and is making his comeback. India would be wary of his big-hitting exploits and would come with certain plans in mind. However, nothing really works when he gets going. 

4. Suryakumar Yadav 

For India, much of the spotlight would be on the captain Suryakumar Yadav. He is currently 2nd ranked batter in T20Is. The 34-year-old is, arguably, the most consistent batter for India in the shortest format in the last couple of years and, once again, the onus will be on him to help the team post substantial scores. 

In India’s last T20 international against Bangladesh, Suryakumar lit the stadium with an exhibition of sixes. He smashed 74 off just 34 balls, a knock which was laced with 4 fours and 7 sixes.

5. Marco Jansen 

South Africa’s left-arm seamer Marco Jansen made his last international appearance in the T20 World Cup 2024. He didn’t participate in the series against Zimbabwe and Ireland due to injury. Jansen makes his return to the squad and India need to be wary of his bowling prowess, especially at home. Indian batters’ struggles against the left-arm seamers aren’t unknown to the world. 

Jansen has troubled the Indian batters in the past and becomes deadlier in home conditions. He can swing the ball both ways and extract bounce due to his height. There is no denying that he will be a player to watch out for in the series.