IND vs SA 2022: 3 players who can score most runs in 1st T20I

India and South Africa are set to lock horns again, this time for a three-match T20I series with the first game to be played on Wednesday, September 28, in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Proteas gave the hosts a great fight when the two teams met earlier in June. With an almost full-strength squad this time, they will hope to better their performance and win the series.

However, Team India are in some great form too, having just won their ninth successive T20I series under Rohit Sharma's captaincy. Although there might be some issues in their bowling department, their batting has been firing on all cylinders.

South Africa also have some dangerous names in their line-up and the first T20I could well prove to be an absolute run-fest. On that note, let's take a look at three players who may score the most runs in tonight's game:

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#3 KL Rahul

KL Rahul scored a fine half-century in the first T20I against Australia, but was dismissed for 10 and 1 respectively in the next two matches. Many feel that with Rishabh Pant waiting in the wings, Team India might consider replacing their vice-captain with the southpaw at the top.

The Men in Blue seem to be committed to their brand of ultra-attacking cricket and Rahul himself is capable of doing so too. If he backs himself to play his natural game without worrying about his position in the team, he has all the shots in the book to become an extremely explosive T20I batter.

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#2 Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock is arguably one of the most dangerous batters in the South African side. Cameron Green of Australia showed that the Indian bowlers aren't high on confidence and can be attacked in the powerplay.

Although the hosts have Axar Patel, they might not use him in the powerplay because of his match-up against De Kock. The southpaw has enjoyed playing T20Is against India, scoring 173 runs in six games at a fine average of 43.25 and a strike rate of 139.51.

De Kock also has a couple of half-centuries to his name against India and will be key for the Proteas if they want to get off to an explosive start.

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#1 Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav's ability was never under the scanner. However, it was proving to be a worrying sign that the 32-year-old often failed in crunch games. This is what made his knock of 69 against Australia in the series decider a phenomenal one, given the pressure that the team was under.

Once 'SKY' gets going, it is almost impossible to stop him. The only thing that he may need to worry about is his record against left-arm spin, given that Keshav Maharaj will be there in the opposition. However, if he manages to score freely against him, Yadav could well have back-to-back big scores.