After India suffered a double blow before the first T20I of the five-match series with stand-in skipper KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav getting injured, South Africa missed the services of their in-form batter. South Africa captain Temba Bavuma revealed at the coin toss that Aiden Markram is unavailable for selection after contracting Covid.
Markram’s unavailability made way for Tristan Stubbs who was recently seen playing for Mumbai Indians (MI) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Stubbs replaced an injured Tymal Mills in Rohit Sharma-led MI. The 21-year-old did not make an impact straightaway and scored just two runs in two matches.
“Aiden was not available for selection as he tested positive for Covid, Stubbs comes in and it is a debut for him” Bavuma said at the coin toss.
Stubbs is an explosive batter who has scored 508 runs from 19 T20s at an average of 33.86 including three half-centuries. The right-handed batter has hit more sixes than fours. He has a strike rate of 155.82. Also, his strike rate in T20 slog overs is 221.29 which is only second to former South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers (225.05) for batters who have played 100 deliveries or less.
On the other hand, Markram was in fine form in IPL 2022 for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) with 381 runs from 14 games at an average of 47.63 including three half-centuries.
Bavuma won the toss and elected to field first at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
“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,” Bavuma added.
South Africa are yet to lose a T20I series on Indian soil. They have played two T20I series in India and one of them ended in a draw.
SA Playing XI: Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje
