India take on South Africa in the fourth T20I of the five-match series being played between the teams, at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday, December 17. After having won two out of the first three matches, India are riding on a wave and will be keen on making the most of their momentum. The home team know that if they allow South Africa to slip away, they will lose whatever control they have over this series.
South Africa batted poorly in the third T20I in Dharamsala, and their sole aim will be to add some consistency in their batting. Top order batters Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram have been amongst the runs this series, and the onus now rests on the youngsters in the squad to put their hands up. South Africa have also failed to finish well towards the latter half of their innings, and this has allowed India to dictate terms.
The home team know that they have all their bases covered, but their main focus will be on the form of captain Suryakumar Yadav. He has been out of runs lately, but the way he has led the team has been commendable. Yadav, who bats at number three or four, is someone who can hit the ball to all parts of the ground. In the bowling department, youngsters Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana have performed well and given their skipper nothing to complain about.
Predicted Teams
IND: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh.
SA: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje.
Key Players
Arshdeep Singh (IND): Fast bowler Arshdeep Singh is one of the most impressive players India has produced recently. The left-arm seamer, who is primarily known for his expertise in producing yorkers in the death, impressed everyone with his new-ball bowling in Dharamsala. Singh got the ball to swing both ways and particularly troubled batters with his movement under the lights. He can also get the ball to seam back into right-handers.
Aiden Markram (SA): South Africa captain Aiden Markram accounted well for himself with a well-constructed 61 in the third match. Sadly, it was not enough. The experienced batter knows these conditions fairly well since he plays in the Indian Premier League. Markram is a stylish batter who can generate a lot of power in his strokes, but he usually relies on timing to find the boundary. Markram has a wise head on his shoulders.
Match Prediction
India are in red-hot form, and the loss in the second T20I will be viewed as an aberration. They are expected to win this match. The biggest advantage that India have is the presence of players who have the maturity to know when to rotate the strike and when to go for big hits. South Africa, thus far, have lacked in this department, and as a result, suffered a lot. We expect the Indians to dominate in all three departments here: batting, bowling and fielding.