India vs. South Africa, 1st T20 – Betting Tips and Predictions

India play hosts to South Africa in the upcoming 3-match T20 series, the first of which is slated to be held on 2nd Oct at Dharamsala. The T20 series will be followed by a 5-match ODI series and 4 test matches thereafter. The energy in both the camps is at the peak and they have been busy preparing for the upcoming series; the Proteans are well acquainted with the sub-continent conditions thanks to the flourishing IPL, which features many of the South African players in different squads. The Indians have quite many youngsters in the T20 squad, brimming with confidence to do well here; the visitors too pack a punch when it comes to challenging the men in blue and we are surely about to witness an entertainer of a match on Friday, when the games begin.

India

After a three-month absence from action, Dhoni will lead the team and bring his expertise to the table; Ashwin and Harbhajan along with Amit Mishra will provide the spin options and are in good shape to thwart the tactics of the Proteans run-machine. Mohit Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sreenath Arvind will bring on the pace attack and along with all-rounders like Stuart Binny, Axar Patel and Suresh Raina, the bowling unit looks well set to challenge the opposition.
The batting line-up consists of ViratKohli, Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, AjinkyaRahaneand ShikharDhawan, who will bring their best foot forward in getting the big runs; Dhoni, Suresh Raina and the youngsters down the linewill need to make it count if the top order fails.
Overall, this is an enthusiastic side and with their recent overseas win against Sri Lanka, the squad seems confident; the home advantage is with them and Dhoni’s leadership keeps this team a tough nut to crack.

South Africa

They have a strong contingent of players, who are well versed with the ground conditions here; Faf du Plessis will lead the side determined to use the advantage of playing in the IPL series every summer to a winning strategy. AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, David Miller and Farhaan Behardien have been doing well and will try to come out all guns blazing here.
On the bowling front, they have the pacemen Kyle Abbott, Albie Morkel, KagisoRabada and Merchant de Lange to come up with surprise tactics against the hosts. Imran Tahir will be a key asset and they will definitely use him to outwit the Indian batsmen, who play spin with ease.
They have a well-balanced team of experienced players and youngsters, who have all-rounder skills which can be used to comeback from any tough situation; if they execute the plans to perfection, they surely can defeat the Indians in their own backyard.

Our Prediction

South Africa is known for their preparation and the hard-work they put to each game; they surely look well placed to bring their A game on Friday. India is well-tuned to the conditions here and although the pressure of expectations is huge, the men in blue will focus on their efforts on the field and position themselves to win the match in the end.

Winner:

South Africa  2.75 @ Bet365