Rain likely to play the spoil sport again in the 2nd T20I between India and South Africa
The second T20I between India and South Africa will be played on December 12 at St George’s Park, Gqeberha. The fans and both teams will hope to get a full game of cricket as the first T20I was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain. India and South Africa will want to get game time since they have only five T20Is before the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup.
Squads
South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, Matthew Breetzke, Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ottniel Baartman, Marco Jansen, Donovan Ferreira, Lizaad Williams
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan, Mukesh Kumar, Washington Sundar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Kuldeep Yadav
Head-to-Head in T20Is
India and South Africa have played 24 T20Is against each other, of which India have won 13, South Africa have won 10, and one match did not produce a result. In South Africa, they have played seven T20Is, of which India have won five and South Africa have won two.
| India | South Africa | |
| ICC T20I rankings | 1 | 6 |
| Head-to-Head in T20Is | 13 | 10 |
| In South Africa | 5 | 2 |
Players to watch out for
Shubman Gill: India’s right handed opening batter is one of the cleanest strikers of the cricket ball in the present times. After a much deserved break post the World Cup, he is back in action. Gill has 304 in 11 T20Is at a blistering strike rate of close to 150. He will be expected to provide India with a good start as he does in other formats of the game.
Mohammad Siraj: The right arm speedster of India will thrive in South African conditions where there is extra pace and bounce. After a decent outing in the World Cup, Siraj will look to up his T20 game. The 29-year-old has 11 wickets in eight T20Is, including a four wicket haul.
Aiden Markram: The captain of South Africa will be expected to lead from the front with the bat. With over a 1000 T20I runs in 33 innings and a strike rate of 150, he will be a vital cog in his team’s batting order. Besides, he can also roll his arm over to bowl off spin and has nine T20I wickets to his name.
Gerald Coetzee: The right arm quick of South Africa displayed his bowling brilliance during the World Cup that was played in India in October-November. He is quick and accurate. In his young T20I career, he has claimed three wickets in as many matches. He is likely to take the new ball for South Africa.
Pitch and conditions
The venue has hosted three men’s T20Is to date. Of the three matches, the teams batting first have won two. The highest total scored here is 179 and the lowest is 58. Though the conditions are good for batting, the cloudy weather could aid the fast bowlers. Expect an exciting contest between bat and ball, provided rain does not play a spoil sport.
Weather
The weather is expected to be cloudy with a couple of showers mainly later in the day. The maximum temperature during the day will be 22 degrees Celsius. There will be 81% cloud cover and 83% chance of rain. The wind will blow from south-southwest.
Milestone Alert
Suryakumar Yadav needs 15 runs to complete 2000 T20I runs
Match Details
Date: December 12, 2023
Venue: St George’s Park, Gqeberha
Time: 8.30 PM
Streaming: Disney+Hotstar app, Star Sports Network