India's Predicted XI vs South Africa, 1st T20I: Who Will Make Way For Shubman Gill?

After drubbing Australia by a 4-1 margin in the five-match T20I series, the Indian cricket team will be high on confidence when it takes on South Africa on the latter's soil in a three-match series in the shortest format. Suryakumar Yadav will continue to lead the team in T20Is as Rohit Sharma remains absent in the format. The likes of Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja are back in the squad and it will be interesting to see which players make way for them.

Here is what we think could be India's playing XI vs South Africa in the 1st T20I -

Shubman Gill: Coming into the team after a break following the World Cup, the right-handed batter will comfortably find a spot for himself in the playing XI.

Yashasvi Jaiswal: The southpaw might get an edge over Ruturaj Gaikwad despite having a mediocre show against Australia because of the left-hand batting option that he offers to the team. Meanwhile, Jaiswal's fireworks alongside Gill's controlled aggresssion in the powerplay could be a good combination for India.

Shreyas Iyer: The right-handed batter failed to impress in the T20I series against Australia and he must be eager to perform in South Africa.

Suryakumar Yadav (captain): While on the captaincy department Suryakumar did a good job, the number one T20I batter must aim to bounce back with his batting performance.

Rinku Singh: Among all the young guns, who were part of the Australia T20I series, Rinku duly impressed with his impactful batting. India will be needing more from their new 'match-finisher' in the upcoming series against South Africa.

Jitesh Sharma: The right-handed batter played two matches and had decent outings with the bat. However, he is yet to stand as per the expectations.

Ravindra Jadeja: The premium