India vs South Africa 1st T20 Predicted 11: Rishabh Pant, Arshdeep Singh set to RETURN to side?

With Hardik Pandya missing the series, Team India is set to recall Rishabh Pant into the Playing XI for the 1st T20 against South Africa.

Team India pacer Arshdeep Singh at a training session with head coach Rahul Dravid in Thiruvananthapuram. (Photo: ANI)

Rohit Sharma’s Team India will continue their road to T20 World Cup 2022 with a three-match T20I series against South Africa beginning in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday (September 28). The series will certainly witness some changes in the playing XI of the Indian side which defeated T20 world champions Australia 2-1 in a series.

With all-rounder Hardik Pandya rested for the series, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is set to make a comeback into the playing XI after being benched for all three matches against Australia. Pant will be expected to play the role of a finisher along with Dinesh Karthik – his biggest rival for a final slot in the playing XI.

All set for the #INDvSA T20I series. _#TeamIndia | @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/UR4erC0zP4 — BCCI (@BCCI) September 27, 2022

Team India pacer Mohammed Shami is yet to recover from COVID-19 while Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been rested looking at his heavy workload in T20 cricket. With Bhuvi out, Punjab Kings left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh will surely be back in the mix for the first game against South Africa.

Arshdeep has had a roller-coaster ride in international cricket and was heavily trolled after he dropped a crucial catch in the Super 4 game against Pakistan which India lost in the Asia Cup 2022 earlier this month. The rest of the bowling attack is expected to remain the same with Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel being the other two pace bowlers apart from Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel as the spinners.

India vs South Africa 1st T20 Predicted 11

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

South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Temba Bavuma (c), Rilee Rossouw, Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markram, Dwaine Pretorius, Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje