12 December,2023 10:30 PM IST | Dublin | mid-day online correspondent
Marco Jansen (Pic: X)
After a washout in the series-opener robbed the auditioning Indian youngsters of valuable game time, the think tank will be hoping for clear weather in the second T20I against South Africa on Tuesday.
Even the toss could not be held in Durban on Sunday and there is a rain forecast even for the second game of the three-match series. Now only five games are left in the build up to the T20 World Cup in June and the management has a very small window to try out players.
In the current scenario, form in the IPL will carry a lot of weight for selection in the Indian team bound for USA and Caribbean.
The selectors announced a 17-man squad for the series and it is highly unlikely that all of them would get an opportunity in the remaining two games.
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Shubman Gill, who was not part of the T20 series against Australia held right after the World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh seem to be the only certainties in the batting order for the ICC event six months later.
Both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad have got runs under their belt but if Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma make themselves available for the World Cup, the two fringe players would need a sensational effort in the IPL to make the cut.
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The only other series India play before the World Cup is against Afghanistan at home next month. The selectors will be forced to consider only IPL performance for World Cup selection, raising questions over the scheduling of India's T20 commitments before the World Cup.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (capt), Ottniel Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Lizaad Williams
India: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Ravindra Jadeja (vice-capt), Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Chahar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan (wkt), Mukesh Kumar, Jitesh Sharma (wkt), Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Tilak Varma, Kuldeep Yadav
The wickets that South African pitches tend to offer more pace and bounce by default, however, in white-ball format, the pitches have been mostly flat favouring batsmen as of late.
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Weather experts have predicted a chance of thunderstorm in the morning at 11 AM local time (2:30 PM IST), and then again at 8 PM to 10 PM Local Time (11:30 PM to 1:30 AM IST). Although the forecast for rain is outside the playing hours (4 PM to 8 PM Local Time / 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM IST), there is a chance of weather playing spoilsport in the first T20I.
South Africa captain Aiden Markram wins toss and elects to bowl first against India keeping the weather conditions in mind.
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar
South Africa: Matthew Breetzke, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Gerald Coetzee, Lizaad Williams, Tabraiz Shamsi
10:10 PM: 180/7 (19.3 Overs)
Rain intervenes after Coetzee is on a hat-trick, while India have only three balls left for the innings.
9:50 PM: 164/5 (18 Overs)
India on top of this contest with Rinku Singh and Ravindra Jadeja in the middle taking the South Africa bowlers to the cleaners. Can India reach the 190 mark now?
9:30: 125/4 (14 Overs)
South Africa gets a big wicket in form of Suryakumar Yadav.
9:04 PM: 59/3 (6 Overs)
Tilak Varma gets caught by Marco Jansen off Gerald Coetzee's delivery. South Africa bowls another good over.
8:50 PM: 25/2 (3 Overs)
Tilak Varma takes charge as he smashes Marco Jansen for some quick runs. Lizaad Williams is put back into the attack, with skipper Suryakumar Yadav joining Tilak in the middle now.
8:42 PM: 6/2 (2 Overs)
Shubman Gill 0 (2) LBW by Lizaad Williams. India in troubled waters after the fall of a second wicket within two overs of play. Marco Jansen will bowl the second over now.
8:32 PM: 3/1 (1 Over)
Yashasvi Jaiswal dismissed for a duck, caught at point by David Miller off Marco Jansen's delivery.
8:30 PM: Match begins!
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill open the batting for India. South Africa bring in Marco Jansen for the first over with the new ball.
