IND vs SA preview: Will India break the South African Jinx?

South Africa are the only side not to lose a T20I series against India in India. In 2015, the Proteas jogged past the 200 run target set by India, shadowing a brilliant 106* from Rohit Sharma in the first T20I at Dharamshala.

In the second T20I, they braved a crowd attack at Cuttack before chasing a paltry 92 enroute to their maiden T20 series win.

In 2019, a Virat Kohli special meant India won their first ever T20I against the South Africans at home in Mohali. But Quinton de Kock replicated his genius in the decider in Bengaluru to tie the series 1-1.

Story of comebacks for Indian batters in absence of big names

On May 22, the BCCI announced a relatively new squad for the T20I series against a full-strength South African team.

While the selectors decided to rest regular skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah, the other T20I regulars Suryakumar Yadav and Prasidh Krishna have been ruled out due to injuries.

This means that KL Rahul will lead the Indian side for the first time in T20Is, with wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant as his deputy. KL Rahul was the second-highest run scorer in the IPL with 616 runs.

He also impressed with his captaincy as he took the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to the playoffs in their debut season before getting knocked out by RCB.

Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya will also make a comeback for the Indian side for the first time since the 2021 T20 World Cup. He was the fourth-highest run scorer in the recently concluded IPL with 487 runs and is expected to become a key member of the leadership group.

Dinesh Karthik will be making a comeback for the Indian side as well. He last played for the national side in the T20I series against Australia in 2019. He impressed as the finisher for RCB this season as he played some important knocks down the order.

With Pant in the side as the wicket-keeper, Karthik is expected to play the role of a finisher for the Indian side as well.

Ishan Kishan was a curious case in the IPL. After being picked up for a staggering ₹15 crore by Mumbai Indians, he suffered from the pressure of the price tag and failed to score big in MI's worst season till date.

Ishan Kishan failed to live up to the expectations of the fans and the management as MI suffered eight consecutive losses in their worst-ever season. He has another opportunity against South Africa

After MI were eliminated, however, he played a couple of brilliant knocks as the pressure went off and scored 400-plus runs after a poor start to the season. He will look to continue that purple patch for the Indian side, with the selectors keeping an eye on the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Shreyas Iyer will also look to impress the selectors after enduring a relatively lukewarm IPL with the bat.

They will also be under pressure to perform after looking at the non-selection of Rajasthan Royals' (RR) skipper Sanju Samson, who was quite decent with the bat. His non-selection came as a surprise to many fans.

Chance for the bowlers to shine

Yuzvendra Chahal was the Purple-Cap holder with 27 wickets in the IPL. He impressed everyone with his wrist spin and was an integral member in taking RR to the play-offs.

He will look to replicate his 2018 success against South Africa. On that occasion, he and Kuldeep Yadav broke their batting order in their own den and helped India to their maiden series win in both the ODI and the T20I series in South Africa.

While Yuzvendra Chahal is almost a certainty in the playing XI, his partner Kuldeep Yadav will face stiff competition from Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi for a spot. It remains to be seen if the management will unite the 'Kul-Cha' combo against the same opponents they demolished four years ago.

Yuzvendra Chahal was the purple-cap holder in IPL 2022, as he picked up 27 wickets at an average of 19.75. He also had a good outing against South Africa in 2018

The selectors also named Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the fast bowlers for the series. However, the biggest surprise was the selection of express-pacer Umran Malik.

Malik was all set to win the Fastest Bowler of the Tournament award in the recently concluded IPL before Lockie Ferguson intervened in the final to surpass his pace. Yet, he impressed everyone with his pace as he often rushed the batters with their shot-making, and put them under a lot of trouble.

However, he also struggled with his accuracy as he leaked runs at an economy of 9.03, the highest in the IPL. Despite taking 22 wickets this season, SRH skipper Kane Williamson was quite skeptical of using him in the death overs due to his inaccuracy.

He will hope to correct his lines and lengths in this series and control his economy. His pace makes him a serious contender to get a spot in the 15-man squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.

South Africa announce a full-strength squad

South Africa have been the undefeated side across all the series played this year. They won the Test series against India in January before whitewashing them in the ODI series. They then travelled to the shores of New Zealand, where they tied the Test series against a strong Kiwi side.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced a full strength squad for the T20I series against India. This means a comeback for pacers Anrich Nortje and Wayne Parnell, who have been sidelined with injuries since the previous edition of the T20 World Cup.

The eyes will be on the 'Big Three' however, comprising of Quinton de Kock, David Miller, and Kagiso Rabada. They were all part of successful series triumphs in 2015 and 2019. They played all their matches in the recently-concluded IPL and will feel confident with the pitches and the conditions.

De Kock was the third-highest run-getter behind Jos Buttler and KL Rahul, and he scored the highest runs in an innings with his 70-ball 140 against KKR, which allowed LSG to progress to the playoff stage.

David Miller also played the role of finisher to perfection in the IPL-winning GT side. Rabada was the highest wicket-taker for Punjab Kings with 23 victims.

The bowling department will also strengthen with the inclusion of spin duo of Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, who were instrumental in the 2021 T20 World Cup. With T20I matches to be played in Cuttack and Vizag, which traditionally aid spin, the two spinners will look to break havoc on the Indian side.

Marco Jansen has also been named in the squad after being a part of SRH. He was instrumental in the few chances he got. Most notably, his opening spell against RCB in the league stages was counted among the finest as he dismissed the trio of Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, and Anuj Rawat in a single over.

South African batter Tristan Stubbs earned a maiden call after being picked for the MI in the auctions at the start of the year. However, it seems doubtful if he will get a chance to play with the other batters Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Rassie van Der Dussen, and Temba Bavuma.

Temba Bavuma would look to add another trophy to his cabinet

Temba Bavuma will look to extend the Proteas' winning run this year. This will be Sout Africa's first T20I experience since their win against England in the league stages of the T20 World Cup last year.

South Africa will have their task cut out against a young but experienced Indian side, led by a captain who is yet to win his first international match as skipper.

While the South African side will look to extend their winning run in the shortest format in India, the Indian players will also look forward to this golden opportunity.

It's a chance to earn a call up for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the absence of big names. Trust the series to have plenty of action and drama. The first T20I begins on 9 June at the DDCA stadium in Delhi.