Aiden Markram | File Photo
Aiden Markram tested positive for COVID-19 and wasn't available for selection in the 1st T20 vs India. Temba Bavuma informed of the development at the toss after winning it and opting to bowl first.
Bavuma further added "We played a practice game here a couple of days ago, so that the wicket got better to bat on. It was a bit slow and stoppy at the beginning, hopefully we can exploit that and restrict them to a decent score and chase it down. Aiden was not available for selection as he tested positive for Covid, Stubbs comes and it is a debut for him. We have two all rounders; Dwaine and Parnell also come into the fold. It is an important series as we haven't been together as a group since the World Cup, it is a preparation for the World Cup coming up in Australia. For us it is about to build momentum and build confidence going ahead."
For India, on the other hand, there were no surprises as neither Umran nor Arshdeep Sinh made their debut.
India (Playing XI): Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan
South Africa (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje
Will Toss Matter?
Looking at the records, the toss won't matter much. But, if it's a typical Kotla surface, you can expect more turn for the spinners as the game progresses. Keeping that in mind, the teams might look to bat first. The average first innings total isn't much and is on the lower side keeping the current T20 standards in check.
