Preview, Ist T20I: India look to maintain winning run against SA

Johannesburg, February 17: On a high after the demolition of South Africa in the ODIs, India will be aiming to tighten the noose around the beleaguered hosts when they square off in a three-match T20 series, starting on Sunday (February 18).

Having created history by thrashing South Africa 5-1 in the ODI series, Virat Kohli and his men will be looking to carry the same momentum and intensity going into the shortest format, with veteran Suresh Raina under the spotlight as he makes a comeback into the national team after one year.

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India have fond memories of playing T20 cricket on South African soil as they won their first ever match in the shortest format in the Rainbow Nation back in 2006 followed by the historic World T20 triumph under Mahendra Singh Dhoni a year later.

Since the 2017 Champions Trophy, India have played 10 T20Is, winning seven of those matches. As such, they have a stable formula to rely on in the shortest format as well.

Raina, KL Rahul and Jaydev Unadkat are the new additions to the Indian contingent for this T20 series. The trio had a two-hour net session at Centurion before the start of the sixth ODI.

Raina's return is the most intriguing aspect of the T20 series from an Indian point of view. He hasn't played ODI cricket since 2015, and last featured in a T20I series twelve months ago against England. He scored 104 runs in three matches, inclusive of a half-century, but didn't bowl much.

It did fuel aspirations of a possible return to the ODI set-up with the Champions Trophy in sight, but the selectors ignored him despite scoring 442 runs in the 2017 IPL for Gujarat Lions.

So proud of the whole unit. 🙏👍 What a series win. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/C2lgzmak7k

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) February 16, 2018

His continued absence from the T20I set-up during the 2017-18 home season raised eyebrows, but it was revealed that he had missed the now obligatory yo-yo fitness test and hence missed out on selection.

He cleared that test in December and finished sixth in the runs' chart (314 runs in 9 matches inclusive of one hundred and two half-centuries) for Uttar Pradesh during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

It is easy to assume that Raina will walk back into the playing XI and his performances will be keenly noted, given that India will also play a T20I tri-series in Sri Lanka later in March.

Unadkat is the other player to watch here. Since New Zealand's trip in October, India have featured a left-arm pacer in their T20 eleven in four out of six matches. After Ashish Nehra retired, Unadkat was called up when Kumar was rested against Sri Lanka.

Lo ji chako trophy tey manao khushiyaan, 25 saal baad jawano ney jung jeeti hai... Buraahhhhhh 💪🏼💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/rpj8JRPIQq

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) February 17, 2018

With the tag of highest paid Indian player (at Rs 11.5 crore) at this year's IPL auction and 24 wickets in the last edition of the league, Unadkat could be India's trump card in this format.

Teams: India: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Jaydev Unadkat, Shardul Thakur.

South Africa: JP Duminy (capt), Farhaan Behardien, Junior Dala, AB de Villiers, Reeza Hendricks, Christiaan Jonker, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Chris Morris, Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Jon-Jon Smuts.

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