South Africa VS India 1st T20I Venue: Kingsmead Cricket Ground, Durban
South Africa VS India 1st T20I Date: Friday, November 8
BetXchange South Africa VS India 1st T20I Odds:
History
It is rare to see a one-format tour in 2024, but that is what we have here as India travels to South Africa for a series of T20Is. There will be four T20s in total, with matches in Port Elizabeth, Centurion, and Johannesburg all following this series opener at Kingsmead in Durban.
This is a rematch of the 2024 T20 World Cup Final when India beat South Africa by seven runs on the back of an astonishing Suryakumar Yadav catch of David Miller. That catch on the Kensington Oval boundary completely flipped the match’s momentum, with the Proteas tumbling to defeat from the jaws of victory.
India has had the better of South Africa in bilateral T20I series, even on South African soil. They have won six of the nine matches between the two nations played in the Rainbow Nation, with the hosts emerging victorious just three times.
This series has produced countless matches that have gone down to the wire. The drama of the World Cup Final and a catch that will never be beaten in terms of pressure, ability, and theatre has only added to the lore of what is always one of the premier fixtures in T20I cricket.
South Africa
The star power present at the 2023 T20 World Cup isn’t there as both these teams look to build for the future. The IPL has forced hands here in many ways, but South Africa will be without the likes of Quinton de Kocj, Anrich Nortje, and Kagiso Rabada for this series.
Losing 3-0 to West Indies and tying a series 1-1 with Ireland has done little to suggest that South Africa has moved past a World Cup hangover.
India
India has been hit even harder. Only four players from India’s XI from the final will be part of the squad here, with Yadav, Axar Patel, Arshdeeo Singh, and Hardik Pandya the holdovers.
This is a T20I side that is as far removed from Test cricket as is possible, with very few players in India’s international pool trying to play both red and white ball cricket at the highest level. India can count this as a good thing, with the T20I men having recently beaten Bangladesh 3-0, while the Test side was whitewashed stunningly by the Black Caps of New Zealand.
Best Bets
One of the exciting aspects of this series is how each team has quickly adapted to the conditions as tourists. South Africa has been good in India, quickly picking up the pace on slow, spin-forward pitches. The same has been true of India in South Africa, with the Indian batsmen and bowlers showing their talents on the fast, bouncy wickets.
Aiden Markram is a batsman in need of a performance. He is 3/1 to be the top Proteas bat, but he has only passed the quarter-century mark once in 14 innings in the format this year. I like him to get over that personal slump and help power South Africa to a win.
