The first T20I of the four-match series between South Africa and India will be played at the Kingsmead in Durban on Friday (November 8). This is Suryakumar Yadav’s third T20I series as designated captain. He led India to a 3-0 series win against Sri Lanka at the latter’s home and backed it up with another 3-0 sweep against Bangladesh on home turf.
India have not lost a single T20I game at the Kingsmead in Durban. Out of the six games played at Kingsmead, India have won four and two games couldn’t yield a result.
The curators at Kingsmead have prepared a sporting wicket for the series opener. The pitch will offer plenty of bounce and carry to the seam bowlers. There is a forecast for rain and therefore the overcast conditions and moisture in the wicket can make life difficult for batting. However, the true nature of the strip will also reward the batters who like batting on bouncy wickets.
Total T20I Matches: 22
Matches won batting first: 11
Matches won bowling first: 9
Average first innings score: 153
Average second innings score: 135
Highest total scored: 226/6 by Australia vs South Africa
Highest score chased: 191/5 by Australia vs South Africa
Lowest total recorded: 73 all out by Kenya vs New Zealand
Lowest total defended: 125/6 SA-W vs WI-W
India Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Dayal, Ravi Bishnoi, Ramandeep Singh, Jitesh Sharma
South Africa Squad: Reeza Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Nqabayomzi Peter, Ottneil Baartman, Donovan Ferreira, Mihlali Mpongwana, Patrick Kruger
