Fresh from a resoundingly successful tour of the West Indies, India now return to home comforts as they get ready to host South Africa in a three-match T20 series beginning on Sunday.
The three-match series will be a chance for both sides to kick-start their preparations for the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia.
For the visitors, it is their first international assignment since their dismal 2019 World Cup campaign in England and they will be looking to make a big statement under stand-in skipper Quinton de Kock.
Here, we look at three key players from both sides who will have a point to prove in the upcoming series.
SOUTH AFRICA
Rassie van der Dussen
Van der Dussen has taken no time to find his feet in international cricket.
The 30-year-old batsman is a late entrant to international cricket with his debut for the Proteas coming only as recently as October 2018. However, the right-hander has taken no time to make a mark for his country with his game tailor-made for limited-overs cricket.
With averages of nearly 78 and 37 respectively in ODI and T20 cricket, the Proteas batsman is as consistent and he will be looking to swell his run-tally in the batting-friendly conditions of India.
Anrich Nortje
South Africa pacer Anrich Nortje.
The 25-year-old pacer was expected to play a big role for South Africa in the 2019 World Cup before an unfortunate injury ruled him out of the tournament.
Like Van Der Dussen, Nortje is a relative newcomer to international cricket as well, having only made his debut for South Africa in March this year. The right-armed fast bowler was highly impressive in his four appearances for the Proteas so far where he has picked up twice as many wickets.
He will be itching to prove his mettle again on the international stage after missing out on the World Cup.
David Miller
Miller can be a destructive batsman in the T20 format.
The Pietermaritzburg left-hander has been around the international circuit for some time now but he has failed to justify that huge promise he showed when he first burst on to the stage.
However, he still remains a very dangerous batsman in the T20 format with his vast experience of playing in multiple franchise leagues around the globe.
His international T20 record for South Africa is decent as well with a career strike-rate of over 140 while he has managed to register a 36-ball ton against Bangladesh previously.
INDIA
Hardik Pandya
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
The star India all-rounder is returning after an extended break which saw him rested for the team’s tour of West Indies.
At 25, Pandya is starting to hit his peak years and he looked like the real deal in the 2019 World Cup for India where he picked up 10 wickets while also chipping in 226 runs from lower down the order.
He will be be desperate to get back into the thick of things and continue to build on his promising IPL and World Cup displays.
Rahul Chahar
Chahar (r) is the only wrist-spinner in the T20 squad.
The 20-year-old was handed his India debut in the recent T20 series in the West Indies after impressing for Mumbai Indians in the IPL earlier this year.
The young leg-spinner showed a strong level of maturity in his maiden IPL campaign while maintaining a stellar economy-rate of just 6.77.
With Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav not picked for the series, it is a chance for young Chahar to stake his claim for the 2020 T20 World Cup squad.
Khaleel Ahmed
India need Khaleel’s left-arm pace variation.
The 21-year-old has already made 11 ODI and T20 appearances for India since making his debut in the Asia Cup last year. The Tonk youngster brings something different to the table for India’s pace attack with his left-armed seamers and has been getting progressively better since his erratic debut in 2018.
Khaleel looked good in India’s recent tour of the West Indies and the team management will be keen to persist with him in the run up to the T20 World Cup. He has the ability to bring the ball back sharply into the right-handers and will be looking to exploit that skill of the Proteas batting unit.
