Fri Nov 15 17:10:00 UTC 2024: ## India’s New-Look Squad Faces South Africa in T20 Series Rematch

**JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA** – A four-match T20 series between India and South Africa kicks off Friday, marking a rematch of the recent T20 World Cup final. South Africa, still smarting from their loss to India in Barbados, will be eager for revenge. The series holds added significance as both teams rebuild their squads ahead of the next T20 World Cup in 2026.

India enters the series with a revamped team under new captain Suryakumar Yadav. Several veteran players, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja, have retired from the T20 format, while Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant are absent due to Test commitments. This presents an opportunity for India’s rising stars to prove themselves. Despite the changes, India boasts a ten-game winning streak in T20Is, their only loss in 2024 being a shock defeat to Zimbabwe.

South Africa, meanwhile, is also fielding a new-look squad following the retirement of Quinton de Kock. Captain Aiden Markram leads a team including several fresh faces, as they aim to recover from recent losses to the West Indies and Ireland. The Proteas’ recent T20 performance has been inconsistent, winning only one of their last five matches.

The head-to-head record between the two nations is closely matched, with India holding a slight edge (15 wins to South Africa’s 11). This series promises to be a closely fought contest, offering a glimpse into the future of both teams’ T20 ambitions. Al Jazeera will provide live coverage of all four matches. India will field several debutants, including Ramandeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Yash Dayal. South Africa welcomes back several players from injury including Gerald Coetzee and Marco Jansen.

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