India aims to seal the T20I series against South Africa in the fourth match at Lucknow's Ekana Stadium on December 17. With Jasprit Bumrah's participation uncertain, the team relies on its strong bowling attack shown in the previous game. Captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill face pressure to regain form ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The fourth match of the five-game T20 series between India and South Africa will be played on December 17 at Lucknow's Ekana Stadium. India leads 2-1 and is aiming to clinch the series with a win. Jasprit Bumrah missed the third T20I, but the bowling unit performed exceptionally well. Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana dismissed South Africa's top three batsmen in the first three overs. The third match was played in Dharamshala under chilly conditions on a balanced pitch, where India won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Shivam Dube told reporters before the game that Bumrah is available, though he did not seem entirely sure if the 32-year-old would play. If Bumrah does not return, India is expected to field an unchanged XI. Captain Suryakumar Yadav has been struggling with form lately, but under his leadership, India has won over 80% of matches. With the upcoming T20 World Cup in mind, the team needs contributions from his bat. Shubman Gill is also under pressure.
India's predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy.
South Africa's predicted XI: Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman.
South Africa will rely on Quinton de Kock to repeat his 46-ball 90 from the second T20I in Mullanpur to level the series. Both teams will field full squads, including Sanju Samson and Washington Sundar for India, and Keshav Maharaj and Anrich Nortje for South Africa.
