Wed Dec 17 14:00:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing and rewriting the provided text:
India Aims for Series Win Against South Africa in Lucknow T20
Lucknow, December 17th – Team India is set to face South Africa in the fourth T20I of the ongoing series today at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. India currently leads the series 2-1 and will be looking to secure the series victory with a win in this crucial encounter.
The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM IST.
While India enters as favorites, South Africa will be desperate to level the series at 2-2.
Reports suggest that the Indian team is likely to make a couple of changes to their playing XI. Jasprit Bumrah is expected to return to the squad, replacing Harshit Rana, after missing the third T20I due to personal reasons. Washington Sundar is also tipped to replace Kuldeep Yadav, potentially adding depth to the batting order with Axar Patel unavailable.
Top Order Concerns
Captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill will be under pressure to perform. While the previous match saw less pressure on the batters due to a smaller target, with the T20 World Cup looming, both players need to find their form. Suryakumar has had a disappointing season in the T20 format, while Gill’s struggles to replicate his success from other formats in T20s are raising concerns. The management will be hoping that at least in this match, Gill and Surya will get back on track.
Predicted XI
Based on current reports, India’s predicted playing XI for the fourth T20I is: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakravarthy.
First Piper 