India vs South Africa: It's Virat Kohli vs Faf du Plessis; Ravichandran Ashwin vs Imran Tahir

Even if it is a team game, a lot of attention will be on individual performances as India and South Africa go head to head in a marathon series starting with the first T20 international in Dharamsala on October 2. Virat Kohli will have to defend his No. 1 T20 batting ranking while Ravichandran Ashwin will be the highest rated bowler on either side.

With India hosting the ICC World twenty20 next year, this three-match T20 series will help the teams identify their rough edges even though a proliferation of T20 matches, thanks to the IPL, has given most players enough knowledge on what to expect. (No Liquor to be Served During Dharamsala T20)

In the ICC T20I player rankings, which were updated following the conclusion of Zimbabwe and Pakistan series, Kohli will defend his number-one batting position. The India top-order batsman had moved ahead of Australia's Aaron Finch, who had slipped to second after missing his side's T20I against England in Cardiff.

Kohli leads Finch by seven points and to retain the top spot, India's new Test captain will have to perform strongly in the series. (India vs South Africa: The Mind Games Begin)

Likewise, South Africa captain Faf du Plessis will also be targeting an improvement in his batting ranking. Du Plessis is currently in fourth position and trails England's Alex Hales by 47 points.

Other top-ranked batsmen to feature in the forthcoming series include Suresh Raina (11th), JP Duminy (16th), Quinton de Kock (22nd), Hashim Amla (24th), David Miller (31st), MS Dhoni (33rd) and AB de Villiers (39th). (India Hold The Advantage Over Proteas in T20Is)

Ravichandran Ashwin will be the highest rated bowler on either side.

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Ashwin highest ranked

India's off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who had an outstanding series in Sri Lanka, will be the highest-ranked bowler from either side. The 29-year-old from Chennai is ranked fourth and has Sri Lanka's third-ranked Sachithra Senanayake firmly within his sights. (Proteas Ready to Unleash Pace Attack, Says Coach Russell Domingo)

South Africa's Imran Tahir is his side's highest-ranked bowler in 12th position and will be looking to break into the top 10 for the first time in his career. He trails Sri Lanka's 10th-ranked Nuwan Kulasekara by 19 points.

Other bowlers aiming to make progress include Bhuvneshwar Kumar (35th), Kyle Abbott (44th), Harbhajan Singh (49th) and Duminy (60th).

Duminy (seventh) and Kohli (14th) are their sides' highest-ranked all-rounders with the list headed by Bangladesh's Shakib Al-Hasan.