India take on South Africa as Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bowl first in their opener T20I at the Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban on November 8.
What did the captains say?
After losing the toss, India captain Suryakumar Yadav said:
"We were looking to bat first. The wicket looks nice, better than the practice wicket and we will try to put runs on the board. The guys in the dressing room have made my job easier, the fearless approach they play with for their respective franchises and have brought the same approach to the team."
Meanwhile, South Africa skipper Aiden Markram, after winning the toss, said:
"We are going to bowl first. Looks a pretty good wicket. There has been some rain around this week and if there's moisture we want to make use of it. Fantastic opportunity for guys to make their debuts at home and it is a great time for them to enjoy the game. We are quite a competitive team and the discussions have been how can we get positive results."
India's playing XI
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan
South Africa's playing XI
Ryan Rickelton(w), Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Patrick Kruger, Marco Jansen, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Nqabayomzi Peter
Pitch Report
"It is an overcast evening in Durban. There is a strong breeze going across the ground and the teams should be vary of that. The wicket is very hard and the ball is going to carry through nicely. I would prefer to bowl first and see if there's any help for the pacers. And there's a slight chance of rain later on," Shaun Pollock analysed the pitch.
Head to Head Records
As far as their head-to-head record between India and South Africa is concerned, they have faced each other 27 times. India hold a slight edge with 15 wins, while South Africa has secured 11 victories. One match between the two teams resulted in no result.
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