India vs South Africa: Predicting 3 bowlers who will bag most wickets

India were dealt a blow on the eve of their first T20I match against South Africa as captain KL Rahul was ruled out of the series. Rishabh Pant will now lead the side and Hardik Pandya has been named as his deputy.

This will certainly impact the hosts' balance, especially in the top order, but they still have enough firepower to challenge South Africa.

Another big blow for them came in the form of Kuldeep Yadav's exclusion. The spinner too has been injured and will miss the series. Kuldeep came into the series after a stellar IPL and was sure to start a few games.

The Indian selectors have not named a replacement and it will be interesting to see the combination Rahul Dravid and Rishabh Pant go with.

Here, we take a look at 3 bowlers who could pick the most wickets in the first India vs South Africa T20I:

3.) Kagiso Rabada

Rabada could be a challenge in the backend of the innings

The South African-quick had a decent IPL with the Punjab Kings where he was more successful in the death overs. However, Temba Bavuma would want his pace spearhead to be more potent with the new ball in the powerplay against a relatively young and green Indian top order.

Rabada understands the conditions as he played for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL for a number of years and hence, he could be a real challenge for the Indian batting order. He comes into his own towards the backend of the innings and this is when the likes of Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, and Hardik Pandya need to be at their best.

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2.) Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel is the death overs specialist

Harshal Patel is fast emerging as one of the gun bowlers in this shortest format. After grabbing purple cap last IPL season, he continued to impress this term as well. He picked up 19 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 7.66 and will be a key member of this Indian bowling attack.

He was used as a designated death bowler by RCB and this could be the role he performs even in Indian colours. With his assortment of slower deliveries and accurate yorkers, Harshal could be the X-factor for the men in blue, not only in this series but also when the side travels down under for the T20 World Cup.

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1.) Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal will be keen to continue his IPL form

Yuzvendra Chahal was the winner of the purple cap this season with 27 wickets in 17 games and is a man in sensational form. Typically, South African batters are not too comfortable against wrist spin and this gives Chahal the opportunity to bolster his credentials.

Experts and fans are still scratching their heads over this exclusion from the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup last year, but Chahal seems determined to take matters into his own hands.

He looked very threatening in the IPL - there was a sense of calm to the way he operated and his control over his variations was exemplary. In this series, he will be the hosts' lead spinner and could well be the bowler to bag the most number of wickets.