IND vs SA, 1st T20: Predicted Playing XI for 'Men in Blue' Against Proteas

The Indian T20 set up looks like a well oiled unit under the captaincy of Virat Kohli and start as the clear favorites against the Proteas who look to rebuild their core team after the retirements of couple of their star players.

Riding high on confidence after trouncing the West Indies in all formats of the game, Team India look to extend their dominance in the shortest form of the game when they take on an in-transition South African team in the first of the 3-match T20 international series at HPCA Stadim at Dharamsala. The Indian T20 set up looks like a well oiled unit under the captaincy of Virat Kohli and start as the clear favorites against the Proteas who look to rebuild their core team after the retirements of couple of their star players. The Indians would savour the healthy record they have against their South African counterparts in T20 internationals, winning 8 off the 13 games contested. The 'Men in Blue' came out victorious when the two teams last played a T20 series in South Africa. Here is a look at what could be India's Best Playing Eleven Against South Africa in the series opener at Dharamsala OPENERS The opening salvo would be provided by the ever experienced and dependable pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. Rohit has always done well against the Proteas, coming out as the leading scorer for India against them in T20Is. Meanwhile Dhawan who has been pretty up and down with his batting form would look to get back to his against the South Africans. MIDDLE ORDER Virat Kohli: The middle order will be spearheaded by skipper Kohli who has now been the team's lynch-pin at his coveted Number 3 position. Kohli would look to anchor the innings and then step the acceleration towards the later stages of the innings. The Indian skipper would be raring to go after having a good outing with the bat against the Windies in the recently held T20I series. Shreyas Iyer: Iyer has been rewarded a place into the T20 team after his splendid show against the Windies in the ODI series. Though he did not feature in the T20 series, he has shown that he very much belongs to the top league after his good showing with the willow for Delhi Capitals in the last edition of the IPL. Rishabh Pant: Pant will once again don the wicket-keeping gloves and look to chip some down the order. The hard hitting batsman hasnt quite been in his groove in T20 internationals despite showcasing a lot of promise with the bat. He would surely need some runs under his belt against the Proteas after blowing hold and cold against the Windies. ALL-ROUNDERS  Hardik Pandya: Pandya gets back into the T20 team after his recent exploits with the bat in the ICC World Cup 2019. Pandya provided balance and depth to the team with his destructive stroke-play and handy medium pace. The flamboyant cricketer can be an outright match winner on his day with the cameos he plays in nerve wrecking encounters. He is a live wire on the field and can lift the morale of the team with his superlative fielding. Krunal Pandya: Krunal Pandya is the modern generation street smart cricketer who knows how to get the job done in white ball cricket. A spin bowler who bowls an extremely tight line to cramp the batsman for room, Pandya excels in choking the run flow and creating pressure on the opposition. Much like his brother Hardik, Krunal is a belligerent hitter, who can change the complexion of the game in a blink of an eye Ravindra Jadeja: Jadeja has got a second lease of life in India's T20 setup after his splendid show in the World Cup and the recently concluded . 'Jaddu' would spearhead the spin attack against the Proteas, who are considered to be weak against the turning ball. Jadeja would look to contribute with the bat too as he done in recent times for the team. SEAMERS Deepak Chahar: Deepak Chahar is the new weapon which has been added to India's already lethal seam battery. Chahar is an asset with the new ball courtesy his ability to garner prodigious movement on seaming tracks. India would hope that Chahar can make some early breakthroughs into the South African top order and give India the decisive edge in the opening encounter at Dharamsala. Khaleel Ahmed: Khaleel Ahmed has been a welcome change for the Indian bowling attack with his left arm seam bowling. He brings in that added dimension of a left armer to the pace attack. Ahmed has chipped in with wickets in his brief T20 international career and could land himself a place in India's playing eleven on seam friendly conditions at Dharamsala. Navdeep Saini: The Delhi pace sensation has turned quite a few heads with his menacing pace against West Indies, picking up three wickets in the first T20I. He could prove to be a lethal weapon with his outright pace and bounce against a relatively inexperienced South African batting lineup.