India will look to continue the momentum in limited overs cricket when Suryakumar Yadav leads a young brigade in the brief four-match T20I series against South Africa, starting in Durban on Friday.

With the focus completely on the crucial five-Test Border-Gavaskar trophy, especially after the humiliating 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand at home, the white-ball series against the Proteas has somewhere failed to find a mention.

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The series will also be crucial for the players who have been released from their respective Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, with the mega auction set to be held late November in Jeddah.

The four-match series will present a great opportunity for the likes of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, to establish themselves as first-choice players as India embraces the transition phase post retirement of the veterans — Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

The recent home series against Bangladesh provided a platform for Samson to get himself used to the opener’s role, and the Kerala right-hander made most of it, slamming a 47-ball 111. Samson would like to further aim to cement his spot as a regular opener with a few fruitful outings against the Proteas.

Contrastingly for Abhishek, the left-hander has a point to prove after his last six international innings have produced 0, 10, 14, 16, 15, 4, despite starting off his international career with a 47-ball century against Zimbabwe at Harare in July.

Similarly, Tilak Varma, who has fallen off the radar after making a solid beginning to his T20I career against the West Indies in August 2023, will look for a fresh start after his next 12 outings in the shortest format have produced just one fifty and has not featured in the blue jersey after appearing against Afghanistan earlier this January.

The series also offers an excellent opportunity for wicketkeeper batter Jitesh Sharma, who would hope to reclaim his spot after falling off the pecking order, and spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who impressed against Bangladesh taking five wickets, to keep themselves afloat over the competition.

The selectors will also closely monitor how a new-look pace bowling unit Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Vyshak Vijaykumar and Yash Dayal fare against South Africa.

Ramandeep Singh, who was retained by Kolkata Knight Riders after a productive IPL 2024, will be eager to replicate his success here. The seniors in the side like skipper Suryakumar Yadav, all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel, the only member from the Test side here, will be hoping for a strong outing so that India can apply some balm over the wounds from their recent home series defeat against New Zealand.

For the Proteas, the series will present them an opportunity to avenge the loss to India in the T20 World Cup final in June, the last time these two sides met.

TEAMS

India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.

South Africa: Aiden Markram (C), Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Patrick Kruger, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Mihlali Mpongwana, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Andile Simelane, Lutho Sipamla (3rd and 4th T20Is), and Tristan Stubbs.