Big picture: With India comes the money

Summer is loading in the southern hemisphere. Dezember (with a Z because that's how we like to say it to convey holiday vibez) is in full swing. The end-of-year parties have started, and cricket will get in on the action with India's all-format visit, the only men's international cricket that will take place in South Africa this summer.

These T20Is are the last competitive matches South Africa will play before they have to name their T20 World Cup squad, who will play three matches in the West Indies ahead of the tournament. India have these matches and one more series - against Afghanistan in January - before the T20 World Cup. So the importance of finding combinations is amplified for both teams, although they will also rely on performances in T20 leagues, especially the SA20 and IPL, where their mainstays play.

The fixtures roll in thick and fast, with a one-day gap between each of the T20Is, and two before the ODIs start. By then, South Africa will have entered the belly of the holiday season, with mid-December the time for many to put their feet up, grab a cold one and watch some cricket.

Form guide

South Africa: LLLLW (Last five matches, most recent first)
India: WWLWW

In the spotlight: Reeza Hendricks and Ravi Bishnoi

Team news: New faces for South Africa

Breetzke has been confirmed as Hendricks' partner at the top of the order, but not as the designated wicketkeeper. That leaves South Africa to choose between Tristan Stubbs and Heinrich Klaasen. There's a glut of allrounders available, but only two of Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen and Andile Phehlukwayo are likely to play. There could be a debut for Burger, with two spinners to add experience to a young attack.

South Africa (probable): 1 Reeza Hendricks, 2 Matthew Breetzke, 3 Aiden Markam, 4 Tristan Stubbs/Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 5 David Miller, 6 Donovan Ferreira, 7 Marco Jansen/Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

It remains to be seen whether Deepak Chahar, who had missed the last T20I against Australia because of a medical emergency, is available for the series opener in South Africa. At the top, India will have to pick between the returning Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad. And if India can accommodate just one spinner, there will be a toss-up between Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav

India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Shubman Gill/Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav/Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Arshdeep Singh/Mukesh Kumar

Pitch and conditions

Stats and trivia

Quotes

"Building up to the World Cup, there is a lot of cricket before that but not a lot of cricket for us as a team together. But as long as the guys understand the way that we want to try and play as a team, and keep that close to them in different leagues and tournaments, then hopefully by the time we meet up at the World Cup next year, they are used to that brand and to the way we want to operate as a team."
Aiden Markram is leading South Africa's entrance into the brave new world of limited bilateral cricket

"The guys who I'm watching right now in the T20s are expressive and they aren't having a lot of fear of failure."
Suryakumar Yadav, India's T20I captain, is in awe of the youngsters in India's side