How India might line up for first T20I

After dominating the South Africans in the six-match ODI series, the visitors are all set to take on the hosts in a three-match T20 series. South Africa started the tour strongly by beating India in the test series. The men in blue bounced back with some scintillating performances in the one-day series. India defeated the home side 5-1 in the ODI series.

Virat Kohli and Co. have performed wonderfully on the tour so far. They will look to take their current momentum to the shortest format of the game as well. The Indian team has focused on rewarding players for their domestic performances in the limited overs format. Suresh Raina and Jaydev Unadkat have made a comeback in the side owing to their performances in domestic cricket and IPL respectively.

South Africa will take on India in the three-match series starting from 18 February.

India's announced squad for the series:

Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik, Manish Pandey, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Suresh Raina, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Jaydev Unadkat.

Let us now have a look at the possible starting XI.

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Openers

Rohit Sharma seems to be slowly returning to form

Rohit Sharma

The Indian opener battled with poor form throughout the test series. He carried the form to ODI series too before he finally clicked. After struggling in the first few matches Rohit came back strongly to score a gutsy century in the fifth ODI. Rohit was in Midas touch before the South African tour commenced.

He was coming on the back off some stellar performances against Sri Lanka which included a ton in a T20. The Mumbai lad will be the first choice opener.

Shikhar Dhawan

The flamboyant Indian opener has been in sensational form in this series. Dhawan has made enormous contributions on this tour. He should open the batting alongside Rohit Sharma in the first T20. In the previous series against Sri Lanka, KL Rahul opened the innings in the absence of Dhawan.

Owing to his recent form, the southpaw will be preferred over the other Indian opener. Dhawan will be keen on bettering his record in the shortest version of the game.

Middle Order

Virat Kohli has been scoring runs for fun

Virat Kohli

The Indian Captain was under immense pressure before the commencement of this tour. The ostentatious batsman has played a significant role in India's success in South Africa. Kohli missed the last T20 series against Sri Lanka. He'll be raring to go in this series against the Proteas. The skipper will have to lead from the front if the men in blue need to accomplish their mission of being the No. 1 ranked side in all formats

MS Dhoni

The Indian wicketkeeper MS Dhoni should bat at No. 4 in T20 cricket. The management may look to give Dhoni a bit of time to settle at the crease and that is only possible if he comes to bat with enough overs remaining. By doing so, Dhoni will have the luxury of facing a few dot balls. He can act as an anchor and as a finisher too.

Manish Pandey

The Karnataka lad Manish Pandey is the first choice for this position. He can attack from the word 'go'. He can also play the anchor's role if India loses a few early wickets. The 28-year-old will look to improve his average in this series. Pandey became the first Indian batsman to score a century in the IPL in South Africa back in 2009. He'll cherish the memories and hope to replicate the same.

Suresh Raina

After a lot of hard work, Suresh Raina has finally made a comeback to the Indian team. Raina performed brilliantly in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He also worked on his fitness in the meantime. Earlier in 2018, Raina managed to pass the Yo-Yo test after which he was eligible for selection.

With the help of T20s, the all-rounder will look to find a place in the one-day squad as well. He will play the role of the finisher.

Hardik Pandya

All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been impressive since his international debut. He has struggled for form in this series in the Rainbow Nation. The Baroda boy has been miserable in T20I cricket. He has a batting average of 10.26. Pandya is the all-rounder that the men in blue were searching for years and years.

His ability with the ball in T20 cricket is a surprise to most people. He has picked up 23 wickets at an average of 23.82. His fielding is an added advantage to his ability. He will be a key factor for India in this T20 series.

Bowlers

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was rested for the sixth ODI

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The most impressive Indian bowler in recent times. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has improved considerably in the last few years. He has an ability to swing the new ball but the new additions to his bowling have produced better results for him.

Kumar has learnt a few variations such as the knuckleball which helps him to surprise the opposition batsmen. His bowling in the death overs has also improved significantly. He has the bowling ability to bowl six yorkers in a row. The 28-year-old will want to bring his form to T20 cricket as well.

Jasprit Bumrah

India's yorker specialist Jasprit Bumrah has been the recent sensation for the men in blue. Bumrah has added new dimensions to his game by learning to bowl with the new ball.

Earlier, Bumrah mainly bowled in the death overs but now he bowls two overs in the power play and two at the back end of the innings. He was recently included in India's test squad where he performed exceptionally. Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar have cemented their spots in limited overs cricket.

Yuzvendra Chahal

Wrist spinners have been crucial in T20 cricket. The batsman's inability to read them from the hand is a plus point for these spinners. A lot of batsmen in world cricket try to take risks on them. They are the most targeted bowlers in the shortest version of the game but Chahal has produced some stellar performances in T20 cricket.

Last year, he scalped six wickets in a match against England. Chahal restricts the flow of runs in the middle overs. To go with it, he also chips in with a couple of important wickets in the middle. He has also taken the new ball on numerous occasions in T20s.

Kuldeep Yadav

The spin-twin along with Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav has been in tremendous form in this series. The South African batsmen have failed to pick him from the hand. Kuldeep's bravery in tossing the ball up has helped him to get the desired results.

The Chinaman bowler has scalped 12 wickets in eight T20I matches. His attacking approach has been wonderful to watch for his fans. The 23-year-old will look to assist his spin partner in demoslishing South Africa's batting lineup.