The fourth T20I of the ongoing five-match series between India and South Africa will be played at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday (December 17). For the match in Lucknow, Indian team management could make as many as three changes to the playing XI. India’s vice-captain Shubman Gill, who is horribly out of form these days, is likely to be left out of the playing XI, and in his place wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson could get a chance.
Samson, who smashed three T20I centuries for India last year, hasn’t played a T20I match since October 2025.
Gill scored 4 runs from two balls against South Africa in the first T20I and got out for a golden duck in the second match played in Mullanpur. In the third
T20I at HPCA Stadium on Sunday (December 14), he made 28 runs from 28 balls but looked far from convincing. There are a lot of question marks over his place in the playing XI.
In addition to Samson, Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah are also expected to return for the fourth T20I.
Axar and Bumrah were the two forced changes for India in the third T20I, which they comfortably won by 7 wickets.
It will, however, be interesting to see who makes way for Axar and Bumrah. In the third T20I they were replaced by Harshit Rana and Kuldeep Yadav, and both the replacement players picked up two wickets each.
If the team management decides to retain Kuldeep and Harshit, then Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakaravarthy, who are the top two wicket-takers in T20Is against South Africa, could be rested for the match in Lucknow.
Like Harshit and Kuldeep, Arshdeep and Varun also dismissed two South African batters each in the third T20I, and Arshdeep even bagged the Player Of The Match award.
In the fourth T20I, Indian fans will expect a big show from captain Suryakumar Yadav. Surya is India’s third-highest run-getter in T20Is, but in 2025, he has only managed to score 213 runs in 18 innings of 20 T20I matches.
India’s likely playing XI for the 4th T20I against South Africa: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.
