India's predicted playing XI for the 5th T20I vs South Africa ft. Sanju Samson & Kuldeep Yadav

India will face off against South Africa in the fifth and final T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, December 19. The Men in Blue currently hold a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

The previous game in Lucknow was abandoned due to heavy fog, meaning that India could not list their XI at the toss. Jasprit Bumrah is expected to be back for the final encounter, while Axar Patel, who was replaced by Shahbaz Ahmed ahead of the previous game, will not feature.

India’s T20I squad for the South Africa series: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar, Hardik Pandya.

On that note, here is India's predicted playing XI for the fifth T20I against South Africa.

Openers: Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma

Cricket: Australia v India - 5th T20I - Source: Getty

Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma have opened the batting for most of the last few T20Is, but India will likely go through a change.

Gill is reportedly dealing with a toe injury that he suffered during practice ahead of the fourth T20I, and Sanju Samson is expected to take his place at the top of the order. With only one opportunity to prove his worth before the T20 World Cup squad is selected, Samson will want to make the most of it.

Middle Order: Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya

India aren't expected to make any changes to the middle order. Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav will round off the top four, while Hardik Pandya and Jitesh Sharma will serve as finishers. Shivam Dube's batting position is uncertain, but he too is in line to feature in Ahmedabad.

Washington Sundar is an option to replace Axar, but India went in with the dual spin combination of Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav during the previous game. Playing the same combination is expected to be the ideal course of action for the Men in Blue.