New Delhi: Suryakumar Yadav-led India will look to seal the five-match series with an unassailable 3-1 lead when they lock horns with South Africa in the 4th T20I at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday, December 17. India are currently leading the series 2-1 after registering a thumping seven-wicket win in the third T20I at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala.
Indian bowlers dominated the proceedings in the game as Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana stood up in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence to help India bowl out South Africa for a paltry 117 runs in the 3rd T20I. The hosts chased down the target with ease to register a comfortable victory and go 2-1 up in the series.
Bumrah, who has returned to Mumbai due to personal reasons, is expected to miss the penultimate game in Lucknow on Wednesday. With Axar Patel also set to miss the remainder of the series due to illness, India are unlikely to make any changes in their playing XI for the 4th T20I.
Can Sanju Samson replace Jitesh Sharma?
There is a good chance of India bringing back Sanju Samson in the playing XI in the 4th T20I to give him a go in the lower middle order. However, that might not happen if the team management has locked in Jitesh Sharma as their preferred finisher heading into the T20 World Cup next year.
There is also a strong case for Samson to be brought back as an opener, however, India will have to drop their vice-captain, Shubman Gill, who has been in woeful form in T20Is. All eyes will also be on skipper Suryakumar, who has been enduring a long-standing drought in T20Is and has no half-century in his last 21 innings for India in the shortest format.
Suryakumar has struggled in the ongoing series against South Africa so far, with just 29 runs in three matches. The swashbuckling right-hander will be hoping to return among the runs in the 4th T20I at the Ekana Stadium on Wednesday. The lack of runs from his bat is a huge concern for India heading into the T20 World Cup 2026.
India’s predicted XI for 4th T20I against South Africa:
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill/Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy