South Africa T20I captain Aiden Markram lavished praise on India's hard-hitting opener Abhishek Sharma ahead of the first T20I for his fearless and ultra-aggressive style of play. The first T20I between India and South Africa will take place on December 9 at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.
Markram on Abhishek Sharma
Markram, who shared the dressing room with Abhishek during his Indian Premier League (IPL) stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) put a premium on the Southpaw's wicket.
"I've played with Abhi before at Sunrisers, a great guy and bats really well, so no doubt it's a big wicket for us," he said on the eve of their five-match T20I series opener at the Barabati Stadium.
"Whoever takes the new ball, that's a challenge to hopefully get him early. He is a match-winner and it's an important wicket for us."
ALSO READ: Rinku Singh fails to fire as Bihar stun Uttar Pradesh by six wickets in SMAT Group B clash
Markram for young players in T20I
Ahead of the five-match T20I series between India and South Africa, Markram said that the T20 batting is being driven by youngsters who see attacking intent as both entertainment and opportunity.
"It's probably just the fearlessness -- being given complete licence to take the game on from ball one," he said.
"Some players you almost just want them to spread their wings and take the game on. If they come off, the team is in a really strong position. The game is moving in that direction."
"The younger guys coming through naturally are playing that way because that's entertainment but it's also opportunities for them to get into leagues and play T20 cricket for their country. They end up doing some really cool things."
India vs South Africa T20I schedule
| Match | Date | Day | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I | December 9 | Tuesday | Cuttack |
| 2nd T20I | December 11 | Thursday | Mullanpur |
| 3rd T20I | December 14 | Sunday | Dharamsala |
| 4th T20I | December 17 | Wednesday | Lucknow |
| 5th T20I | December 19 | Friday | Ahmedabad |
Squads
India: Aiden Markram (c), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Lutho Sipamla, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortjeand Tristan Stubbs.
South Africa: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC)*, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar