St George’s Park, Gqeberha hosts the second SA vs IND T20I on Tuesday. The first T20I in Durban was abandoned due to rain and the series did not have the best start. There is also rain forecast for the second T20I. This is the first T20I between these two teams at this venue.
India will be led by Suryakumar Yadav. They have a young generation of players to choose from. Almost all the players who played in the Australia series have been picked for this series. Axar Patel is a big name who has rested apart from the elders. Kuldeep Yadav Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja have returned. Jaddu has also been named vice-captain of the Indian team.
South Africa will be led by Aiden Markram. He has many veteran players to rely on, such as David Miller and Heinrich Klassen. He, along with them, forms the batting core of the team.
Gerald Coetzee will lead the bowling attack in the absence of Kagiso Rabada and Anrtich Nortje. Two limitless pacers, Ottniel Baartman and Nandre Burger, are also part of the team.
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The series didn’t get off to the best start in Durban as the first T20I was rained out. Sunil Gavaskar criticized Cricket South Africa for not taking adequate measures to cover the ground before the rain arrived.
He also highlighted this aspect saying that the directives must invest more in preparing the playing conditions to play in case it rains. The forecasts for the second T20I also do not give good signs. Rain is expected in the afternoon and the match starts at 5 pm local time, which is 8:30 pm IST.
SA vs IND Match Preview: 2nd T20I, 2023
India
India just won the T20I series against South Africa. Shubman Gill is back in the T20I side and he is expected to open the batting in the first T20I. With some players returning to the team, the selection process will be an interesting watch.
Aakash Chopra, the former Indian opener, predicted that with Kuldeep Yadav’s return, Ravi Bishnoi, the Player of the Series against Australia, might not get a game. Deepak Chahar is yet to join the team due to family reasons and might miss the second match. His father is sick and has not yet fully recovered.
While Yuzvendra Chahal and Sanju Samson remain absent from India’s T20I team, Chopra also expressed his opinion about Shivam Dube not getting a game in the Australia series and withdrawing from the South Africa series. How India cover up their sixth bowling option in the absence of Hardik Pandya is also a major talking point.
Team India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav ., Arshdeep Singh, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Deepak Chahar
South Africa
This is South Africa’s first international assignment since the ODI World Cup. They are now focusing on their preparations for the 2024 T20 World Cup after another World Cup semi-final defeat. Players like Markram, Miller and Klaasen will be key figures in the batting lineup.
With Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje rested, all eyes will be on Gerald Coetzee. He took 20 wickets in the recently concluded World Cup and was the real leader of the pace attack. In Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, they have two experienced spinners. The battle between the South African bowlers and the Indian batsmen in strange conditions will be an interesting watch.
South Africa team: Aiden Markram (captain), Ottniel Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs and Lizaad Williams .
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