Team India is all set to take on South Africa in a five-match T20 International series at home. The first of the five T20 matches will be hosted by the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on June 9. Cuttack, Vishakhapatnam, and Rajkot will host the next three T20 Internationals. The series will conclude with the final T20 International at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on June 19.
Earlier in December last year, India toured South Africa for three test matches and as many ODIs. The hosts won both the Test (2-1) and the ODI (3-0) series. This time, the BCCI has rested a few of the senior players including skipper Rohit Sharma for the series.
Ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, the board wants to give opportunities to young players. On the other hand, South Africa too will be keen to make the most of the series and prepare for the mega-event. In this article, we take a look at the three milestones to look forward to in the India vs South Africa T20I series.
3 Milestones to look forward to in the India vs South Africa T20I series
#3 Rishabh Pant 17 runs away from 700 T20 International runs
Rishabh Pant has emerged as a match-winner for India across formats over the last few years. He is approaching the milestone of 700 T20 Internationals runs. In 43 T20Is so far, Pant has scored 683 runs at an average of 24.39 and strike rate of 125.78.
The power-hitter had a decent Indian Premier League 2022 season, averaging 30.91 in fourteen matches. He scored 340 runs at a strike rate of 151.78 in the tournament. Rishabh will be taking up the wicket-keeping duties for India in the T20I series.
In the absence of the senior players, his role becomes even more important in the middle order. The wicket-keeper batter needs 17 more runs to complete 700 runs in the format. India will be hoping that Rishabh Pant steps up for the team in the upcoming T20I series.
#2 Kagiso Rabada one wicket away from 50 T20 International wickets
Senior pacer Kagiso Rabada has been an asset for the South African cricket team. He is one of the finest bowlers across formats in the world. In 40 T20 International matches, Rabada has taken 49 wickets at an average of 26 and an economy rate of 8.6 runs.
The pacer ranks fourth in the list of highest wickets for South Africa in the format. In the upcoming T20 International match against India, he will be keen to reach the milestone of 50 T20 International wickets.
Rabada had a brilliant outing in the recently concluded Indian Premier League season. He took 23 wickets in thirteen matches, at an average of 17.65, with two four-wicket hauls. The South African pacer needs to continue his form against India, to lead his team to success.
#1 India one victory away from most consecutive T20 International wins
The Indian team is on the cusp of breaking the milestone to become the team with the most consecutive T20 International wins. They are currently on par with Afghanistan, and Romania with 12 consecutive wins.
India’s last loss in the format came in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 against New Zealand. Since then, they have won 12 consecutive matches, defeating Afghanistan, Scotland, and Namibia in the same tournament.
Following the World Cup, India defeated New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and West Indies in back-to-back series. If the KL Rahul-led team manages to get the better of South Africa in the first T20 International, they will go past the two teams to set a new record of 13 consecutive wins.
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