1st T20I: Gill, Pandya Return As South Africa Elect To Bowl Against India

1st T20I: Gill, Pandya return as South Africa elect to bowl against India (Image Source: IANS)

T20 World Cup: South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl first against India in the first T20I of the five-match series here at the Barabati Stadium. The series will pose as an ideal one for both teams as they begin their preparations for the T20 World Cup 2026.

The hosts arrive hoping to carry their momentum from their previous T20I series, where they defeated Australia. They've received a boost with the addition of Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya, who mark their return to international cricket after recovering from their respective injuries. Meanwhile, the visitors see this as a chance to bounce back after losing the recently concluded ODI series against India 2-1.

For the first time in the venue’s varied history, a red-soil surface has been prepared, bringing with it the usual uncertainties of an untested wicket. Still, as India work toward finding the ideal blend of personnel and balance ahead of the 2026 World Cup in February–March, the team should welcome these conditions, especially with comparable pitches likely to feature during the tournament.

Protea skipper Aiden Markram, upon winning the toss, spoke of the team’s preparations, combination and the conditions on offer as he said, “We're going to bowl first. Expecting conditions to be good here in India. Quite a bit of dew around, might be a constant throughout the game but might get a bit worse later. (Quick turnaround time between formats) It's the way things work, lot of the games end up playing in the mind, need to get yourself in the right frame of mind. Fantastic build-up to the World Cup. From a conditions point of view, it's going to be great. You can’t simulate these, certainly not back in South Africa, so that’s a massive thing. And then obviously testing yourself against one of the better outfits in the world. Looking forward to that, seeing where we are. And we’ve got another couple of months after this to fine-tune things and hopefully be ready for that World Cup.”

India captain Suryakumar Yadav said the team was happy to bat first and will take the defence as a challenge. When asked about the team’s preparations and his view on the playing conditions, he said, “We were a little confused looking at the wicket. Yesterday it was looking a little more greener, but today we were a little confused. But it’s okay, we’re happy to bat first. It gives a good challenge to put runs on the board and come out here and defend. I mean, see, it (dew factor) becomes a little challenging for the bowlers - you can’t run away from the fact. But going from here on, I think that’s going to remain for a really long time. It has been there for a very long time. So if we keep focusing on that, I think the main job will be in trouble in doing that. But yeah, let’s not think about it and have it as a challenge."

"We had a good series in Australia. Now we play five T20s against South Africa and then we play against New Zealand, so 15 good T20s. I think it’s good preparation. Same thing what we’ve been doing in the last few series: be fearless, enjoy the game, and be at it for the next three hours. It (selection) is a very good headache to have," he added.

Speaking of the team combination, Suryakumar mentioned the players missing out of the XI, saying, “The guys missing out are Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana.”

Playing XIs:

Speaking of the team combination, Suryakumar mentioned the players missing out of the XI, saying, “The guys missing out are Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana.”

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje

Article Source: IANS