Lucknow, December 17, 2025 – India and South Africa are set to clash in the 4th T20I at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow today, with the Men in Blue aiming to clinch the series. India currently leads the five-match series 2-1, and a victory today would give them an unassailable 3-1 lead. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM IST.

India enters the match with momentum on their side after a dominant seven-wicket win in the third T20I in Dharamshala. After that victory, Suryakumar Yadav said the team wanted to go back to basics, and do the same things they were doing in Cuttack. South Africa, on the other hand, will be desperate for a win to keep the series alive. A loss would mean they would return home with a 1-2 series defeat.

All eyes will be on Suryakumar Yadav, whose form has been a major talking point. Despite a stellar IPL season where he scored 717 runs for the Mumbai Indians, Yadav has struggled to replicate that form in T20Is this year. In 20 T20Is, he is averaging just 14 with a strike rate of 125. In the 20 matches he has played this year, Suryakumar has only passed the 30-run mark twice. Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif has voiced his concerns over Suryakumar's form, saying it is a bigger worry for India than Shubman Gill's dip in form, especially with the T20 World Cup 2026 approaching. However, Yadav has insisted he is batting well in the nets and is "not out of form, but definitely out of runs".

The predicted Indian XI is Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakaravarthy. Axar Patel is set to miss the remainder of the series due to illness, and Jasprit Bumrah's status is unknown after he missed the third T20I.

Tilak Varma has been in phenomenal form throughout the T20I series, and all eyes will be on him when he comes in to bat. Varun Chakravarthy has also been a standout performer, taking six wickets in three matches.

India holds the edge over South Africa in T20Is, having won 20 of their 34 encounters. India has won all three matches it has played at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.

The pitch at the Ekana Cricket Stadium is relatively new to hosting T20Is. Five out of the six matches held here have been won by the teams batting first. Spinners are also expected to play a key role at this venue.

Milestones to watch out for include Shubman Gill needing 131 runs to complete 1000 T20I runs, Sanju Samson requiring 5 more runs to reach 1,000 runs in T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav needing 30 runs to reach 9000 T20 runs, and Tilak Verma 77 runs to aggregate 500 runs against South Africa in T20Is.