After a morale-boosting win at Visakhapatnam, India will be aiming to level the five-match series when they take on South Africa in the fourth T20I, scheduled to be played at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot on Friday (June 17).
After losing the first two games and facing a must-win situation on Tuesday, the Men in Blue made a strong comeback in the third T20I, outplaying South Africa by 48 runs in Visakhapatnam.
After putting to bat first, the Rishabh Pant-led side posted 179 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 20 overs and then bundled out South Africa for 131 to clinch their first win of the series.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan scored fifties and provided a terrific start to the team before Hardik Pandya's 31-run knock propelled India to a respectable total.
Harshal Patel was the pick of the bowlers, having bagged 4 wickets while conceding 25 runs while Yuzvendra Chahal also scalped three wickets to help India stay alive in the series. Heinrich Klaasen was the top scorer for the Proteas side, having smashed 29 runs off 24 balls.
South Africa, despite their recent loss, are leading the series 2-1 and will be keen to clinch the series rather than waiting till the fifth and final T20I. India, on the other hand, will be desperate to level the series and take it to the final match.
Match Details
Match: India vs South Africa, 4th T20I
Venue: Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot
Date & Time: June 17 at 7:00 PM IST
Live Streaming: Star Sports & Disney+Hotstar
Pitch Report
The surface at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium offers a balanced wicket, where batters will get the full value of their shots. The pacers might enjoy some early movement with the new ball and the spinners will control the middle overs. Bowling first should be the preferred option for the team that wins the toss.
Pitch Stats
Total matches: 3
Matches won bowling first: 2
Matches won batting first: 1
Average 1st Inns scores: 183
Average 2nd Inns scores: 170
Highest total recorded: 202/4 (19.4 Ov) by IND vs AUS
Highest score chased: 202/4 (19.4 Ov) by IND vs AUS
Lowest score defended: 196/2 (20 Ov) by NZ vs IND
Head-To-Head
Matches Played: 18
India Won: 10
South Africa Won: 8
Key Matchups
Miller v Chahal: 67/3 at 171.79 SR
Miller vs Avesh: 60/2 at 150 SR
Ishan v Rabada: 70/1 at 168 SR
Hardik vs Rabada: 68/2 at 148 SR
Ruturaj vs Nortje: 67/2 at 186 SR
Ruturaj vs Rabada: 51/3 at 121 SR
D Karthik vs Rabada: 21/4 at 70 SR
Squads
India: Rishabh Pant (C & WK), Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan, Deepak Hooda, Venkatesh Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Umran Malik
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Dwaine Pretorius, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, Reeza Hendricks
Probable Playing XI
India: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje
CREX XI Suggestion
Wicket-Keeper: Heinrich Klaasen
Batters: Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rassie Van der Dussen, David Miller
All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Dwaine Pretorius
Bowlers: Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kagiso Rabada
Captain: Ishan Kishan
Vice-Captain: Heinrich Klaasen