Four months ago, India and South Africa met in the T20 World Cup final. India won the title by defeating South Africa by 7 runs in the final held in Barbados, West Indies. Both teams have made several changes since that final match.
South Africa will not have the services of their three successful bowlers, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Tabraiz Shamsi, in the upcoming series. Additionally, wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock will also be absent.
India will be without most of their key players due to the upcoming Test series in Australia. Only four members from the World Cup-winning team are part of the current squad—captain Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Arshdeep Singh.
South Africa’s coach, Rob Walter, mentioned that the tight schedule and limited preparation time posed challenges. He said, “There is a packed schedule in world cricket due to various franchise leagues and Test matches. Other teams have also been forming two different squads, and we want to do the same. We have a strong enough team to compete and win in both scenarios.”
Due to their involvement in franchise leagues, top players like David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, and Keshav Maharaj were not part of South Africa’s T20 series against Ireland in the UAE last September, which resulted in a 1-1 draw.
This India-South Africa series was originally scheduled for the 2021-22 season but was postponed due to COVID-19.
This series provides a great platform for young Indian players to prove themselves. New players Ramandeep Singh, Vijay Kumar Vishak, and Yash Dayal have been called up to the squad.
A strong performance against South Africa could positively influence their chances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, set to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24-25.
South Africa Squad: Aiden Markram (captain), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper), Patrick Kruger, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Mihlali Mpongwana, Nkaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton (wicketkeeper), Andile Simelane, Lutho Sipamla (only for the third and fourth matches), and Tristan Stubbs.
India Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijay Kumar Vishak, Avesh Khan, and Yash Dayal.
