The series got off to a blockbuster start in Delhi with India posting their highest T20I score against South Africa, who completed their highest successful chase in response.
Given that India are without even more players than they initially planned for after KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav were both Ruled out on the eve of the first match, the result may not sting too much and there’s more than enough time to make up for it. India can’t ask for more from their batters, but they may want to consider how best to use Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik in the middle order and when to unleash their IPL bowling finds on a South African line-up that is quietly making a habit of winning from tough situations.
Dating back to last year’s T20 World Cup, South Africa have developed a knack of relying less on luck (or lack thereof) and trusting their ability at the death. Their experienced batters are coming into their own but there are still questions about the make-up of the team that they will want to answer. Their all-round options on this tour are both seam bowlers, which creates more room for specialist spinners. We can expect this combination to change as the series progresses but perhaps not until the direction the contest takes is clear.
South Africa are 1-0 up but were pushed to their limits in the first match. How much further can they go? India will want to see
