India cricket team will head into their penultimate stage of the preparation for the T20 World cup 2026 as they take on South Africa in the five-match series from December 9. Suryakumar Yadav and and co. will be aiming to continue their fine form in the shortest format of the game, having clinched a 2-1 series victory against Australia in their previous outing. India have seen a lot of shuffling around in their playing XI and their batting order in the past few games and this series will be final stage (more or less) for the Men in Blue to finalize on their final squad for the marquee event.
Predicted India playing XI for IND vs SA 1st T20I
Abhishek Sharma
Shubman Gill
Suryakumar Yadav (C)
Tilak Varma
Sanju Samson (WK)
Hardik Pandya
Washington Sundar / Shivam Dube
Kuldeep Yadav
Harshit Rana
Jasprit Bumrah
Arshdeep Singh
On bench: Shivam Dube/ Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy
A red-soil pitch is expected to be rolled put for the contest, as per a Times of India report dated December 4. This means, pacers would exract more advantage from the surface compared to spinners. Therefore, it wouldn’t be a surprise if India pick Dube ahead of Sundar in the playing XI. Wth Hardik returning to the playing XI, the addition of the Mumbai all-rounder will not only bolster the batting depth but will also give them an additional fast-bowling option.
This would mean India will have just one specialist spinner in the form of Kuldeep – who has been in fine form at home. India could use a part-time spinner in the form of Tilak, but a lot would depend on whether they bowl first or second. Given Kuldeep’s performance in the ODI series, it would be better for the team to have him in the playing XI compared to Varun.
Meanwhile, Gill – who was cleared by the CoE just a day earlier, will open the innings with Abhishek. This means Samson will continue to bat in the middle-order. Rana, Bumrah and Arshdeep will comprise of the pace department alongside Dube and Pandya.
India squad for IND vs SA T20Is
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC)*, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar
