It hasn’t been long since India and South Africa produced a scintillating spell of exciting cricket in South Africa. South Africa was being considered the underdogs before that series started but ended up thumping India in the Tests as well as the ODIs. The Proteas are touring India this time and the anticipation for this series is already massive. The five-match T20I series will mark its beginning with India taking on South Africa at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. Even though India would be without their main stars, they would still be a dangerous team to deal with, especially with the kind of young talent they have. South Africa, on the other hand, will be at their full strength and would not be easy to deal with. This upcoming match will be played on the evening of 9th June 2022. In the last five matches between the two teams, India has won 2 while South Africa has won 2 as well. The last encounter between the two sides saw South Africa beat India by 9 wickets. Shreyas Iyer is the top run-scorer for India with 259 runs from his last 7 matches at an average of 86 and a strike rate of 160. Ishan Kishan has also made 205 runs in his last 6 matches. Harshal Patel has been the best bowler for India and has picked up 11 wickets from his last 8 matches while bowling at an economy rate of 8.52 and a strike rate of 15. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has also picked up 8 wickets from his last 7 matches. Quinton de Kock is the top run-scorer for South Africa with 249 runs from his last 8 matches at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 118. Aiden Markram has also made 239 runs in his last 10 matches. Tabraiz Shamsi has been the best bowler for South Africa and has picked up 15 wickets from his last 9 matches while bowling at an economy rate of 6.12 and a strike rate of 13. Anrich Nortje has also picked up 11 wickets from his last 7 matches. IND VS RSA TEAM PREVIEWS INDIA With many of its players coming after a long and exhausting stint in the Indian Premier League 2022, India was already resting a few of their key players and the recent injuries have only aggravated their cause. With KL Rahul set to miss at least the next few weeks of action, India is likely to come out with a completely new opening pair of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan. There’s no Suryakumar Yadav as well at number three, rendering India’s top-order a little too inexperienced. It would be a game of comebacks and youngsters for India with players like Dinesh Karthick set to make their return to the fold and several new players likely to debut throughout this series. India has also included Yuzvendra Chahal in the fold, who is coming off a splendid run in the IPL. India’s spin attack will likely hold the key against the Proteas first-up, especially with South Africa not known to play spinners well. It’s been a while since India took the field last and commenting on the form would not be fruitful. However, given how their players did in the IPL, India will be confident of toppling South Africa here. India has the home advantage and if they can take care of the high-pressure situations, they will be well in business even against the full-strength Proteas side. SOUTH AFRICA South Africa may have been late to the party, but their preparations for the ICC World T20 – Australia are well and truly underway. They have decided to come out with their full-strength side and will be keen to get the best out of the lot before zeroing on a final combination that flies to Australia. Just like India, South Africa has decided to recall some of their most experienced players back to the fold and the most notable name of those is Wayne Parnell. His presence certainly does add to the batting depth without taking anything away from the bowling attack, which already looks solid with the likes of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada around. On paper, the Proteas look like a good side that is arguably a bit bowling-heavy. Barring David Miller, Quinton de Kock, and Aiden Markram, their batting unit lacks experience in playing in these conditions and that could prove to be a decisive factor. They will need their seniors to lead from the front and if they can do that, getting past them could prove to be an exceedingly difficult job. MATCH DETAILS: Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi Date and Time: June 9, 2022, at 7:00 PM IST PITCH REPORT The surface of Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, also known as Feroz Shah Kotla, is normally a slower pitch. However, the outfield is typically quick because of the small boundaries. As a result, the team that gets to bat first will be keen to put up a total of about 170 and pressurise the chasing side. Spinners may be able to take advantage of the pitch’s slowness. PROBABLE PLAYING XIS FOR INDIA VS SOUTH AFRICA INDIA KL Rahul (c), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wk), Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal SOUTH AFRICA Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorious, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje PROBABLE TOP PERFORMERS PROBABLE THE BEST BATTER OF THE MATCH QUINTON DE KOCK: Quinton de Kock was in great form in the IPL. His knocks for the Lucknow Super Giants were commendable as he was one of the reasons behind the team’s successful season. His best performance came against KKR when he scored a ton and gained massive confidence for further games. He would look to carry that momentum into the upcoming series. PROBABLE THE BEST BOWLER OF THE MATCH YUZVENDRA CHAHAL: The pitch will be supportive of the spinners and will benefit them, and who better than Yuzvendra Chahal can seize this opportunity? The prolific spinner was at his best during the IPL and emerged as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 27 scalps under his belt. The confidence will back help him to perform even better when he faces the Proteas batters. Today’s Match Prediction: India to win the match.