India aim to wrap up series against South Africa in Lucknow

If India win in Lucknow on Wednesday, it will mark their 14th consecutive T20I series triumph. A defeat for South Africa would take their record to 19 losses in their last 29 games.

The fortunes of the two sides since the last T20 World Cup final have headed in opposite directions. However, the series is far from over. South Africa have the opportunity to force a decider and gain crucial confidence ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.

For both teams, the finer details of their build-up plans may be more important than the series result itself.

When: Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 7:00 PM IST
Where: BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

What to expect: A chilly and foggy evening. Dew may come into play early. Recent T20s at the venue have produced middling totals, with some early movement for pacers but not much assistance for spinners.

Team News:

India: Axar Patel has been ruled out of the series, replaced by Shahbaz Ahmed. There is no official word on Jasprit Bumrah's availability, but Shivam Dube said he 'thinks' Bumrah is available for the 4th T20I.
Probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Harshit Rana/Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy

South Africa: Following another batting collapse, South Africa are expected to continue rotating their squad.
Probable XI: Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje, Ottneil Baartman

Stats Spotlight:

• Abhishek Sharma is 47 runs away from surpassing Virat Kohli's 2016 record of 1614 runs for the most by an Indian in a calendar year in T20s.
• India have bowled out their opponents 15 times in 33 innings since July 2024 – the most by any team in this period.
• India have won seven of the eight completed T20Is in 2025 featuring the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy.

Quotes:

"There's a lot of competition… it puts guys under pressure, and a lot of guys have to fight for a spot, which is great." – Anrich Nortje, South Africa pacer.

"He is a fighter… He is an innovative and threatening player." – Shivam Dube, India all-rounder, on captain Suryakumar Yadav.