India's 2023-24 multi-format tour of South Africa got off to a poor start as rain spoiled the party in Durban for the first T20I. The Men in Blue are currently engaged in a three-match T20I series, followed by three ODIs and two Test matches. The tour was scheduled to start on December 10, but rain had the final say and the match was abandoned without the toss.
The fact that the T20 World Cup 2024 is less than six months away makes this 20-over series important. This is a crucial preparation phase for both teams as they need to find a formidable squad ahead of the major international tournament.
Unfortunately, the weather doesn't look promising in Gqeberha either, which means there's no guarantee the two teams will be able to face off at St George's Park on Tuesday 12 December. The weather forecast suggests that there is a high chance of disruption due to rain. The skies are expected to be cloudy in Gqeberha with a chance of rain.
According to Accuweather, it's 99% cloudy with a 63% chance of rain during the day, though the chance of rain drops to 6% in the evening.
Pitch report:
The pitch at the St George's Park Cricket Ground is expected to be more favourable for fast bowlers. Pacers are likely to create bounce and they can threaten the batters with new ball movement. The spinners may get a chance to dominate the game later on. Batters need to be patient in the early stages and once settled in, scoring runs becomes easier due to short boundaries and a quick outfield.
SA vs IND 2nd T20I: Probable Playing XI
SA Possible XI: Reeza Hendricks, Matthew Breetzke, Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markram (capt), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Nandré Burger, Tabraiz Shamsi
IND Possible XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
SA vs IND Full Squads:
India Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan, Mukesh Kumar, Washington Sundar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Kuldeep Yadav
South Africa Squad: Reeza Hendricks, Matthew Breetzke, Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ottniel Baartman, Marco Jansen, Donovan Ferreira, Lizaad Williams