India vs South Africa 4th T20I: The fourth match of the five-match T20 series between India and South Africa will be played today, Wednesday, December 17, in Lucknow. This will be the first match after the IPL 2026 auction. India currently leads the series 2-1. Team India will be looking to seal the series with a win, while South Africa will be aiming to win the match, level the series, and make the final match even more exciting.
In the third T20 played in Dharamshala, Suryakumar Yadav made two changes to the team. Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah had returned home due to personal reasons, so Harshit Rana was included in the playing XI. Similarly, due to Axar Patel's illness, Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav was added to the playing XI. If Bumrah returns before the fourth match, Rana might have to sit out. Also, Axar Patel has been ruled out of the series, and Shahbaz Ahmed has been added to the squad as his replacement.
After scoring just 4 runs in the first two matches, vice-captain Shubman Gill returned to form in the third T20, although his innings was quite slow. In Dharamshala, Gill scored 28 runs off 28 balls, including 5 fours. Therefore, a change in the opening pair for the next match seems unlikely.
On the other hand, if we talk about South Africa, they didn't play any specialist spinners in Dharamshala. Now, keeping the Lucknow pitch in mind, South African captain Aiden Markram might include either George Linde or Keshav Maharaj in the team. Enrich Nortje might also have to be dropped from the playing XI.
India Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wicket keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket keeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed.
South Africa Squad: Aiden Markram (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock (wicket keeper), Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tristan Stubbs.
Ekana Stadium Pitch Report
The pitch at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow initially offers assistance to both batsmen and fast bowlers. However, the wicket gradually slows down, and spinners come into play. Dew is a significant factor here in the final months of the year. Therefore, teams winning the toss often prefer to bowl first.
Here average first innings scores range between 151 and 165, with boundaries measuring 78 metres square and 80 metres straight, making consistent six-hitting a challenge. Historically, teams bowling first have won close to 60 percent of matches, although dew can shift the balance later in the evening.
Broadcast and Streaming Details
India vs South Africa 4th T20I Match will be live telecast on Star Sports Network and live streaming of the match will be available on JioHotstar app and website.
