South Africa v India First T20 Tips: India overrated in weakest format

• South Africa superior

• Rain may not hurt chances

• No fifty at 11/43.75 a bet

South Africa v India
Sunday 10 December, 14:00
TV: Live on Sky Sports

South Africa v India First T20 team news

South Africa are going in the right direction with no Temba Bavuma in this squad. Reeza Hendricks and Matthew Breetzke get the opportunity to nail down an opening berth.

Heinrich Klaasen at No 4 is a good look, too. The balancing act will, as ever, be with the ball. Despite Lungi Ngidi being ruled out with injury they may resist the temptation to add Andile Phehlukwayo's experience instead of extra batting depth with Tristan Stubbs. Kagiso Rabada is rested. Beauran Hendricks is Ngidi's replacement.

Possible XI: Breetzke, Hendricks, Markram, Klaasen, Miller, Stubbs/Phehlukwayo, Jansen, Coetzee, Maharaj, Shamsi, Williams

India are creeping towards a new era but whether they have the guts to take the plunge is another matter. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are rested again.

Shubmann Gill, Ravi Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj all return after World Cup heartbreak. It's a struggle for India to find room for a sixth bowling option unless they were to include Washington Sundar or Tilak Varma as an all-rounder but that would mean Shreyas Iyer or Rinku Singh would sit out which seems unlikely.

Picking Rinku and Jitesh as finishers would make sense but it's no guarantee. Ishan Kishan with the gloves is another option.

Possible XI: Jaiswal, Gill, Shreyas, Yadav, Rinku, Jitesh, Jadeja, Bishnoi, Deepak, Mukesh, Siraj

South Africa v India First T20 pitch report

At Durban, 170 or more has been busted in first-innings in four of the last seven. There seems to have been an uptick in runs outside of the Pro20. In September South Africa failed to defend 190 and 164 against Australia, the latter within 15 overs. In the first game in August, Australia amassed 216. Seven of the last 11 have been won by the chaser.

The weather forecast looks poor and a loss of overs looks to be guaranteed. The first-innings runs line is not voided in the event of overs reduced but the 20-over line is. The 11/43.75 with Sportsbook that no fifty is scored in the first dig is worth an interest.

South Africa v India First T20 match odds

The rain looks likely to make this a shootout. In such cases we're often keen to side with the outsider because it can reduce the talent gap. But with India favourites, our resolve to bet the hosts only hardens.

We don't have India as 1.834/5 shots and would argue that the favourite status is the wrong way round. South Africa look solid at 2.0811/10.

The likes of Aiden Markram, Klaasen and David Miller have the potential to do real damage against an India attack which was leaky against Australia on occasion.

South Africa v India First T20 player bets

With overs likely to be reduced openers could be the way to go. Gill and Reeza Hendricks, therefore, at a boosted 7/24.50 and 4/15.00 respectively may prove popular. Klaasen is 5/16.00. Man of the match markets for openers also have appeal. Hendricks and Breetzke at 12/113.00 and 14/115.00 for example.

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