India take on South Africa as Suryakumar Yadavwon the toss and elected to bowl first in the second T20I taking place at the New Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh on December 11.
What did the captains say after the toss?
India captain Suryakumar Yadav, after winning the toss, said:
"We will bowl first. There's a bit of dew, so bowling first is a good option. This is a wonderful ground. First men's game here, so excited for it. It's really important for the boys to under the responsibility. 175 on that wicket was over par. It was a lovely effort from our bowlers. The balance he provides is amazing. The way he keeps his calm, his overs are also very important for the side. We go with the same team."
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Meanwhile, South Africa skipper Aiden Markram, after losing the toss, said:
"We would have done the same. Looks a pretty good wicket. We would have bowled first. Need to put runs on the board and put them under pressure. Always lessons to take. Need to dive deep into things. You are going to have nights like that. I am not too sure. We will get feedback after the first few overs. We want to put up a good total. We have three changes. Reeza, Linde and Baartman come in."
India's Playing XI
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma(w), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh
South Africa's Playing XI
Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock(w), Aiden Markram(c), Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Marco Jansen, Lutho Sipamla, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman
Head-to-Head
India and South Africa have competed in 31 T20I matches so far. India hold the advantage, having secured 18 wins compared to South Africa's 12 victories. Notably, one match between the two teams ended without a result.
Pitch Report
“Right in the centre of the ground, 68m square boundaries and 73m down the ground. Straightaway looks like a better surface to bat on than the last one. You look at the compactness at sight, looks like there’s a bit of a sheen on it, there are a few cracks and there is a bit of grass but it’s quite compact. It just looks that much better. Like that we’re on a big ground because it brings in so much. You can’t get away with mis-hits. For the batters, you get pockets to get 2s and 3s. It’s about conditions, dew probably comes in later. Want to ensure you know what you’re chasing. Average winning score here is 180. The cracks are not going to open up, it’s nice and cold here. Expect a lot of fours and sixes,” Deep Dasgupta and Pommi Mbangwa, analysed the pitch.