The 2023 World Cup went in very similar fashion for India and South Africa; both sides bossed the league stage to finish first and second in the standings, before the Proteas fell to Australia in the semifinal and India lost to the Aussies in the final.
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India now visit the rainbow nation for an all-format tour. The first assignment is a three-match T20I series which is of great importance to both sides ahead of the T20 World Cup in 2024. The first match begins on December 10, and here The Sporting News brings you all the information ahead of that game.
India vs South Africa: Predicted line-up
Predicted XI for India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Siraj, Mukesh Kumar.
Predicted XI for South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Matthew Breetzke, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaassen (wk), David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.
India vs South Africa: Head-to-head in T20Is
These two sides have played each other 24 times in T20Is, with India coming out on top on 13 occasions.
| Team | Wins | Losses | Tie/NR |
| India | 13 | 10 | 0/1 |
| South Africa | 10 | 13 | 0/1 |
India vs South Africa: Toss
Kingsmead is a traditionally high-scoring ground in T20 cricket. The lowest score successfully defended at the venue is 153. The recent series between South Africa and Australia saw the visitors post 226/6 here, so opting to bat and put runs on the board may be the thinking from both sides.
India vs South Africa: Weather forecast in Durban
The weather in Durban is set to be cloudy throughout match time, with temperatures remaining constant around 21-22 degrees Celsius. There are chances of rain during the second innings, however.
India vs South Africa: Prediction for first T20I
India are coming off the back of a solid 4-1 series win over Australia, and several members of that squad will be travelling to South Africa. However, South Africa's power-packed batting lineup with the likes of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and Tristan Stubbs will surely test the Indian bowling. In home conditions, South Africa perhaps have the upper hand.
India vs South Africa: Betting odds for first T20I
According to Dafabet, South Africa are slight favourites for this encounter.
| Team | Betting odds |
| India | 1.76 |
| South Africa | 2.12 |
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