5 Individual battles we might witness during the India-South Africa T20 series

The T20 series is expected to throw up some interesting battles

The most awaited cricket series of the year is just 2 days away and what better way to kick off the contest other than the T20 format. The world is set to witness the clash of two great international teams – India and South Africa – in the shortest and the most entertaining format of the sport.

Both teams comprises of individuals who can win matches single-handedly if they get going and there are some like AB de Villiers who can destroy the opposition bowling attack from ball one. With such exciting line-ups, we are definitely going to witness some individual battles among the players from both the sides.

Let’s have a look at some individual battles which is likely to hog the limelight during the T20 series.

1. Shikhar Dhawan vs Quinton de Kock

Dhawan and De Kock are expected to get their respective teams off to a flying start

Being the openers for their respective sides, both Dhawan and De Kock will have the responsibility of getting their teams off to a decent start pinned on their shoulders so that the middle order can capitalize on the start provided by the openers. But the duo have been going through contrasting fortunes recently.

Dhawan has been in great touch off late scoring 3 consecutive centuries in the last 3 matches he has played in, most recent of which being the India A vs Bangladesh A match in which he scored a 146-ball 150. An in-form Shikhar Dhawan is a big positive for Team India and the way he plays, he can give India a brisk start.

De Kock hasn’t played much of international cricket in recent times but his stats says that he loves playing against the Indian attack and we all remember the 3 consecutive ODI tons he scored against India when they toured South Africa in early 2013. He recently scored a century for the South African A side against its Indian counterparts as well. So his wicket at the top of the order will be crucial for India.

2. Virat Kohli vs AB de Villiers

Kohli & De Villiers are among the best batsmen of the present generation

Now this might turn out to be the most interesting battle in the tour. Virat Kohli is the No.1 T20 batsman in the world and AB Devilliers is probably, the most complete, batsman of this era. These two have mostly played with each other rather than against each other, turning out for the same franchise in the IPL. They both compliment each other very well both on and off the field and also shares a mutual respect for each other.

Kohli is the most reliable batsman in the Indian team and although the Proteas bowling attack will not be that lethal with the absence of Steyn, Morne Morkel and Philander, the likes of Chris Morris who have played a lot in the IPL knows these conditions well and can create problems for the star Indian batsman.

De Villiers is the most complete and dangerous batsman in the world and if he gets going, then the fielders will just be spectators and he has the ability to hit any ball in any direction. But if stats are to be believed, India has not let De Villiers take the game away from them, having somehow managed to get him cheaply on most occasions.

3. MS Dhoni vs AB de Villiers

Dhoni & De Villiers are two of the best finishers in the game

MS Dhoni and AB De Villiers are the two best finishers in the game currently and it’s not possible to ignore these two when they are up against each other. The cricket pundits and experts have always had a debate as to who the best finisher between these two is and it’s a debate that is never going to end because these two will never stop doing what they do best and that’s finishing off matches in style.

Such is the stature of these two players as finishers that if any one of these two are out there in the middle fighting it out for their respective team when the team is in trouble, then the spectators and even the dressing room have hope that they can win the match for their team single-handedly. So it will be interesting to see these two in action against each other.

4. Suresh Raina vs David Miller

Miller and Raina will be expected to increase the scoring rate down the order

Suresh Raina and David Miller – These two left-handers are the power houses for their respective teams. if the team needs some quick runs down the order then these two are the first choice for their captains. Both of them are T20 specialists and we all have witnessed their heroics in the IPL.

Raina can make the ball go a long way from the word go and he attacks the spinners vey well coming down the track and lofting them back over their head. Contrary to Raina, Miller is a stand and deliver kind of a batsman who dismisses the bad balls from his presence with a whack of his blade and when he hits them, it stays hit.

5. R Ashwin vs JP Dumniy

Duminy will be wary of Ashwin’s liking for the left-handers

R Ashwin has been India’s lead spinner in all the three formats for 3 years now and it is no secret that he loves bowling to the left-handers – a recent example of which came in the India-Sri Lanka Test series where he got Kumar Sangakkara out in 4 consecutive innings. He is also a very economical bowler in the T20 format and its not at all easy to take him on with all the variations he has got.

Duminy, being one of the seniormost and experienced members of the Proteas side, will have a huge responsibility upon his shoulders to collect quick runs down the order but Ashwin is one bowler who can trouble him seriously. Yes, Duminy has been in form and scored a 32-ball 68 in the warm-up T20 fixture against India A, but being a left hander coupled with Ashwin often bowling at the end of the innings in T20’s, then this is going to be a mouth-watering contest.