India vs South Africa, 5th T20I, India Predicted XI: Hosts Likely To Retain Playing XI

The India vs South Africa T20I series has been a roller-coaster ride so far. While the Proteas won the first two matches in dominating fashion, the hosts ruled the roost in the following two. With the series evenly poised at 2-2, it now goes to the decider which will be played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. With a lot at stake, both the sides would aim to put their best foot forward in the winner-takes-all contest.

While South Africa have been forced to make changes to their playing XI in the series due to injuries to players and COVID-19, India have not tinkered with their playing combination despite some inconsistent performances.

Putting the trust on players eventually reaped rewards for the hosts and hence it would be really interesting to see if the side would try to make any change to the playing XI for the final match.

Here's what we think could be India's playing XI for the fifth and final T20I against South Africa:

Ishan Kishan: The southpaw remains the top run-scorer in the ongoing T20I series. He has 191 runs to his credit from the four matches played so far. His average in the series is 47.75.

Ruturaj Gaikwad: Besides a half-century (57 runs in 35 balls) in the third T20I, Gaikwad has had a forgettable series so far. He has managed to score only 86 runs across four matches at an average of 21.50.

Shreyas Iyer: The stylish right-hander has not been at his absolute best but still is India's third highest run-getter in the series so far. Iyer has scored 94 runs in four matches at an average of 23.50.

Rishabh Pant: The southpaw has been impressive as captain but has failed to replicate the performance in his batting. South African bowlers have stuck to their plan of keeping the ball away from