Team India will play the first T20I of the five-match series against South Africa on Thursday, June 9, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
However, India has already suffered two setbacks, with stand-in skipper KL Rahul and left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav both being ruled out owing to injuries.
Rishabh Pant, the team's wicketkeeper-batter, was named the new captain, while all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who returned to the side for the first time since the T20 World Cup last year, was selected as Pant's deputy.
Pandya earned his comeback after putting in solid performances in IPL 2022, where he finished as the fourth-highest run-getter. Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals in the season's final last month, and the all-rounder led the team to victory.
Former India bowler Zaheer Khan, who worked closely with Pandya at Mumbai Indians, believes the 28-year-old star would be a player to watch in the T20I series against South Africa.
“The key player from India for sure, only one player comes to my mind and that is Hardik Pandya. The last we saw him play for India was in the World Cup. He's had a good run in the IPL and is coming off a high from those performances and the leadership qualities which he has shown. I'm sure he will be looking forward to the big World Cup later this year. This is certainly going to be a lot of expectations from him (in) this series, looking at how he is shaping up,” Zaheer said on Cricbuzz.
The former India pacer also stated that the T20 World Cup, which will be held in Australia in October-November this year, will be the priority.
“International cricket is back, that is something which is exciting. Now the whole focus is going to be on what happens in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. I'm really looking forward to it as well,” said Zaheer.
