Dale Steyn and Irfan Pathan pick in-form Team India bowler as highest wicket-taker in IND vs SA 2025 T20Is; predict series scoreline

Former South African pacer Dale Steyn and Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan picked the in-form Varun Chakaravarthy to finish as the leading wicket-taker in the upcoming India-South Africa series (via Star Sports X handle). The 34-year-old is currently ranked No. 1 in the T20I bowler rankings.

Varun boasts an excellent T20I record against the Proteas, picking up 12 wickets in four matches at an average of 11.50. The veteran spinner has picked up an incredible 43 wickets in 23 T20Is over the last two years.

Meanwhile, Steyn and Pathan also predicted a close 3-2 scoreline for the T20I series. While the former went with the Proteas to edge out the hosts, the latter backed the Men in Blue to come out on top.

The two teams last met in a T20I series at the end of last year in South Africa, with India emerging victorious 3-1. The Men in Blue have been in red-hot T20I form, winning 13 out of their 15 completed matches this year.

On the other hand, the Proteas have struggled in their recent T20Is, losing six out of their last nine completed games.

The much-awaited India-South Africa five-match T20I series begins in Cuttack on Tuesday, December 9.

Dale Steyn and Irfan Pathan pick the leading run-scorer for IND-SA T20Is

Dale Steyn and Irfan Pathan made a common pick when it came to the leading run-scorer for the India-South Africa T20I series. Both former players went with the in-form Abhishek Sharma to top the run-scoring charts.

The youngster has been in breathtaking T20I form, averaging over 47 at a strike rate of 196.36 in 17 outings. Like Varun Chakaravarthy, Abhishek is atop the ICC T20I rankings among batters.

However, the left-hander has struggled against the Proteas in four T20Is, averaging under 25 with a lone half-century. Nevertheless, Abhishek has scored at a strike rate of over 173 against them.

Finally, Steyn and Pathan made their picks for the highest six-hitter in the series. The former went with veteran Proteas left-hander David Miller, while Pathan backed Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav to smash the most maximums in the five T20Is.