India vs South Africa, 1st T20I: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details

The 1s of the three-match T20I series will be played between India and South Africa at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (HPCA) in Dharamsala.

The match starts at 7:00 PM local time & IST (01:30 PM GMT)

This series will be live on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD in India. Live streaming is available on Hotstar.

Preview:

Team India will embark on its home season on Sunday with the commencement of the T20I series against South Africa. The visitors are playing their first series after the World Cup and the players have enjoyed a decent amount of rest. They are without their regular skipper Faf du Plessis for this series and Quinton de Kock will lead South Africa. This is also a chance for the Proteas to build a towards the T20 World Cup next year.

India, on the other hand, are coming off an impressive West Indies tour where they didn’t lose a game across the formats. Moreover, the selectors have gone with an almost the same squad thereby extending the rest for the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal from the format. While the batting line-up is filled with the superstars, the bowlers are too inexperienced in the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.

Weather Condition/Report:

There is around 50% chance of rain in the lead up to the game which might delay the start of the series opener. However, the weather seems to be clear during the match timings. There is only a 3% chance of heavens opening up after 7 PM. The temperature is expected to hover around 20-21 Degree Celsius even as the dew is expected to play a crucial role, especially in the second innings.

Pitch Condition/Report:

Last time the two sides faced each other at this venue back in 2015, South Africa chased down 200 in the last over thriller. But with the rain around, there might be something for the bowlers in the surface. Also, with the dew expected to play its part, the team winning the toss is likely to field first.

Average first innings score: 140 (Seven T20Is at the venue)

Record of the chasing teams: Won – 2; Lost – 4

Team News

(Will be added when there is an update)

Probable Playing XIs:

India

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer/Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar/Ravindra Jadeja, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Rahul Chahar.

Bench – Khaleel Ahmed, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer/Manish Pandey.

South Africa

Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock (C & WK), Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, David Miller, George Linde/Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Beuran Hendricks, Tabraiz Shamsi, Junior Dala/Anrich Nortje.

Bench – Bjorn Fortuin, George Linde/Dwaine Pretorius, Junior Dala/Anrich Nortje.

Top Picks:

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli tally 4791 runs together in the T20 Internationals and no wonder they will be the top picks throughout the series.

For South Africa, Rassie van der Dussen and Reeza Hendricks are supremely talented players and they could turn out to be the surprise package.

David Miller could turn out to be a surprise pick as he has played in Dharamsala for the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL and can score big if he gets going.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Quinton de Kock (VC)

Batsmen – Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Manish Pandey, Rassie van der Dussen

All-Rounders – Hardik Pandya, Andile Phehlukwayo

Bowlers – Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada.

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Rishabh Pant, Quinton de Kock

Batsmen – Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Rassie van der Dussen (VC), David Miller

All-Rounders – Hardik Pandya (C), Andile Phehlukwayo

Bowlers – Rahul Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Beuran Hendricks.

Expert Advice:

With the new points system in place in Dream11, it would be wise to have more all-rounders in your team. Rather, it would not be a bad decision to make all-rounders C or VC.

Manish Pandey or Shreyas Iyer, whoever will be in the XI, could be picked in the team as a backup in case Rohit and Kohli both fail.

Better to wait until the toss before picking South Africa players as there is the uncertainty about the look of their bowling attack. Anrich Nortje and Junior Dala are good picks if they play.

Probable Winners:

India are expected to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

*Disclaimer: These picks were made based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.