India vs South Africa 2022: 1st T20I - Match Preview, Predicted XI, Players To Watch Out For, Pitch Report And Live Telecast

India and South Africa will cross swords in a three-match T20I series before boarding the flight to Australia. The teams will look to make the most of the opportunity and address their concerns in the series. It should be an exciting series as the teams will look to toil hard. 

Thiruvananthapuram will host the first T20I between India and South Africa on Wednesday (September 28). Here’s the match preview for the first T20I between India and South Africa:

Team News

India

India will march on to the series on the back of a stellar outing against Australia. The Rohit Sharma-led team played stupendously in the series and are brimming with confidence. However, the Indian team do have a few concerns to be addressed. 

Suryakumar Yadav will be a player to watch out for in the entire series. India will look to make the most of Axar Patel and help the player gain confidence ahead of the 20-20 World Cup 2022. 

Players to watch out for: 

Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel

Predicted Playing XI:

KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant (wk), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Arshdeep Singh

South Africa

South Africa are threatening in the T20I format and the team can take the series in a whisker. It is up to the Indian team to remain cautious against a fiery Proteas attack. The Temba Bavuma-led South African team can rattle the Indian fort and stamp their authority.  

Players to watch out for: 

David Miller, Aiden Markam, Kagiso Rabada

Predicted Playing XI:

Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (c), David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi

Pitch Report:

The pitch at Thiruvananthapuram is a balanced one. To be on the safer side, teams should look to bowl first. Given that very few games have been played here, it will be interesting to watch how the pitch fares out. 

Match Details - India vs South Africa 2022, 1st T20I

Date: 28th September 2022

Venue: Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram

Timing: 7 PM IST

Live Telecast: Star Sports Network

Live Streaming: Disney Hotstar