India vs South Africa Statistical Preview - Everything you need to know about 1st T20I in Dharamshala

ByBodog India, SportsCafe Editor

09/14/2019

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After a long and hard summer away from home, Team India are finally back again on home soil after six long months. The Men in Blue will kick off their home season against South Africa who, under the leadership of Quinton de Kock, are hoping to turn their fortunes around after a disastrous World Cup.

Form Guide

South Africa - W-W-W-L-W-W-W-W-W-L

The Proteas have been in impeccable form in T20 cricket in the last year, having won 8 and lost just 2 of their last 10 matches. Their most recent outing in this format of the game was against the Lankans in March this year, which they comfortably won 3-0.

India - W-W-W-L-L-L-W-L-W-N

India have had a comparatively mixed year in T20 cricket. The Men in Blue lost two bilateral series’ against Australia and New Zealand respectively, but at the same time, comprehensively whitewashed the defending world champions West Indies in their own backyard last month. All in all, they have won 5 of their last 10 matches but at the same time have won their last three, which should give them confidence - the kind sees them start off as heavy favorites in the first match of the series.

Head to Head

South Africa - W5 - L8

India - W8 - L5

The two teams have played 13 T20I matches between themselves till date, with India coming out on top in eight of those encounters. The most recent series between the two teams also saw India emerge victorious, as they beat South Africa 2-1 in their own backyard. However, the last time these two teams played a series in India, South Africa comprehensively won 2-0, albeit thanks to a certain AB de Villiers. Interestingly, the last match between these two teams in Dharamshala was also won by South Africa in 2015, as they chased down a target of 200 without breaking a sweat.

Key Batsmen

Virat Kohli: With an average of almost 50, it goes unsaid that Virat Kohli - irrespective of where he bats - will be the key man for India. Since November 25 2018, he has averaged a staggering 65.75 with three fifties in just six innings. Moreover, the Indian skipper scored a half-century in his last T20I against the Windies too, where he smashed a match-winning 59 to guide his team home. Plus, the last time he batted at this venue, he scored a quickfire 43 against the Proteas. The South Africans would know that it’d be game over for them if Virat gets his eye in.

Rohit Sharma: In T20Is, it’s almost as if everything Rohit touches turns into gold. The Mumbaikar has scored more hundreds (4) than any other batsman in T20I history. In 2018 alone, the opener smacked two centuries and just like his skipper Virat, he smashed a match-winning fifty in the last T20I he played. Incidentally, he also scored a century in his last knock at this very venue - a 66-ball 106 against the Proteas - albeit ending up on the losing side. If Rohit’s in the mood, then it will definitely spell bad news for the Proteas. With two 50+ scores in his last five innings, he is an absolute asset, especially if India get the opportunity to bat first.

Key Bowlers

Kagiso Rabada: There are few bowlers as fiery and lethal as Kagiso Rabada in world cricket right now, and in the 2019 edition of the IPL, the South African proved why he’s a star across all formats. Despite bowling on spin-friendly wickets, Rabada accounted for a whopping 25 scalps in just 12 matches, finishing as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker. But interestingly, the speedster has played just 3 T20Is for South Africa since the start of 2018. But with plenty of experience in his bag, especially that of bowling in Indian conditions, expect Rabada to be a handful for the Indian batsmen come Sunday.

Deepak Chahar: Deepak Chahar has been a revelation ever since the turn of the year. While everyone primarily saw him as a Test bowler, he took the IPL by storm by claiming 22 wickets in 17 matches - a tally which was bettered by only two bowlers in the entirety of the tournament. In fact, he bowled 79% of his deliveries in this IPL in the powerplay, which is more than any other bowler. And unsurprisingly, against the Windies last month, Chahar tore the top-order apart with exceptional swing bowling. He returned with figures of 3-1-4-3 and astonishingly, bowled every single over in the powerplay yet again. The Proteas definitely must be beware of the powerplay threat of this right-armer.

Venue

In six completed international matches at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Stadium Dharamsala, interestingly, the team batting first has gone on to win the match four times. However, the H2H match between India and South Africa here in 2015 actually saw South Africa comfortably chase down a mammoth target of 200. The average first innings total at this venue in international matches is 165, but it has gone down to 158 in the last 3 matches. And interestingly, despite Dharamsala carrying the cliche of being a “pace friendly” wicket, spinners have taken an average of 5.66 wkts per match in the last 3 games at this venue. But the last H2H match between the two teams at this venue saw just one solitary wicket taken by spinners.

Centurions

There have been two centurions in T20Is at this venue, Rohit Sharma and Tamim Iqbal, but truth be spoken, centuries have been hard to come by in Dharamsala. In fact, there are just 4 batsmen who have scored a fifty on this wicket and interestingly, 3 of them achieved the feat in the last H2H match between India and South Africa in Dharamsala. But such has been Rohit Sharma's dominance in the sport, especially while opening the innings in India, that Bodog have actually given him a chance of reaching triple figures in Dharamsala.

Sixes

An average of 6.66 sixes have been hit per match in the last 3 international matches at this venue, which is pretty low for a T20 match. Here’s a really interesting statistic though - a total of 20 sixes have been hit in the last 3 matches at this venue, which is the same as the number of sixes that were hit between India and South Africa in the last H2H match they played at this venue.

Squads

India’s T20I squad: Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Rahul Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar and Navdeep Saini.

South Africa’s T20I squad: Quinton de Kock (C & WK), Rassie van der Dussen (VC), Temba Bavuma, Junior Dala, Bjorn Fortuin, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi and George Linde.

Venue: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Stadium, Dharamsala

Date and Time: September 15, 7.00 PM IST

Telecast: Hotstar and Star Network

Predicted XI

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Rahul Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Navdeep Saini

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (C & WK), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, David Miller, George Linde, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada

To witness who leads the charge at any point in the game, you can follow the action on Bodog.