India will host South Africa in the fourth T20I of the five-match series at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. The Men in Blue hold a 2-1 lead in the series and will be hoping to pick another win to seal the series. The Proteas would expect better batting showdown.
After yet another one-sided win in the third T20I in Dharamshala, India would aim to continue with the momentum and seal the series in the fourth game of the five-match series at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Ahead of that, the hosts have plenty of issues to address, starting with Shubman Gill and captain Suryakumar Yadav’s form.
After the third T20I, opener Abhishek Sharma noted that the players will soon return to their best and help India in the T20 World Cup, but until then, if they maintain their current form, the duo might just have to sacrifice their spot in the playing XI. Talented individuals such as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson are waiting in the wings, waiting for an opportunity and when the bench is as stacked as it is now, Gill and Suryakumar can’t just keep coming short.
Things need to change immediately, as India will look to head to the T20 World Cup with a pre-decided XI and not change things in the middle. The bowling department, on the other hand, has been very sorted with Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh being the top performers.
When it comes to South Africa, they would expect the batters to contribute more. Barring Quinton de Kock’s 90 in the second T20I and Aiden Markram’s half-century in the last match, nothing has gone in their favour. Unless the batters take more responsibility in the middle, their performance will not improve. Some of their key bowlers, such as Kagiso Rabada and Kwena Maphaka, are missing this series, which might have impacted their bowling performance.
Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, Pitch Report
The surface at the Ekana Stadium will favour the batters. Bowling first will be the ideal thing to do as the dew is expected to play a major role in the second half of the game. It’s going to be a high-scoring game if both teams bat well, as even 220 runs could be chased.