South Africa will kick off a four-match Twenty20 International series against India at Kingsmead on Friday, just over four months after India defeated them in the T20 World Cup final. Both teams have undergone significant changes from their previous encounter in Barbados, where India claimed the title with a seven-run victory.
South Africa will be without their three top bowlers from the World Cup, namely Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Tabraiz Shamsi, as well as batsman-wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.
India, with many key players preparing for a Test series in Australia, have only four members from their World Cup-winning squad: captain Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Arshdeep Singh.
South African coach Rob Walter emphasized the challenge of managing a team amid a crowded cricket calendar.
“The worlds of short-form cricket, leagues, and Test matches are starting to encroach on each other. We’re seeing that with other sides around the world having to field two different squads,” he stated.
Walter added the importance of balancing player welfare with performance, saying, “Cricket is in a tenuous position, and it’s going to take some seriously strong management to make sure that we look after our players first and foremost so that when they do play for South Africa, they’re there to deliver their best performances.”
Despite the scheduling challenges, Walter can count on experienced franchise players like David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, and Keshav Maharaj. This wasn’t the case when South Africa lost their last T20 international match to Ireland in Abu Dhabi in September.
Originally planned as part of India’s tour of South Africa in 2021/22, the series was postponed due to Covid restrictions. The matches are expected to generate significant revenue for Cricket South Africa from Indian television rights.
Additionally, it will be an opportunity for fringe Indian players, such as uncapped Ramandeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Yash Dayal, to impress ahead of the Indian Premier League player auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24-25.
South African Squad: Aiden Markram (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Patrick Kruger, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Mihlali Mpongwana, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Andile Simelane, Lutho Sipamla (third and fourth matches only), Tristan Stubbs.
Indian Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.
Fixtures:
– November 8: Durban
– November 10: Gqeberha
– November 13: Centurion
– November 15: Johannesburg
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
