This is the first match of the 3-match T20 series. Today is the 1st KFC International T20 match between India and South Africa, scheduled to be played at the Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Cricket Stadium, Aliwal Street, Durban, 4001, South Africa. The match will start at 7:30 pm IST (Indian Standard Time).
India’s tour to South Africa includes a series with three formats, and it’s called the Freedom Series. It begins today with the T20 match and concludes with the last 2-test match series on January 7, 2024.
The 1st T20 match today will be very interesting as India’s young brigade faces Proteas (South Africa’s) attacking batting and aggressive bowling attack. For the T20 series, the Indian captain is Suryakumar Yadav. This is his second time leading the T20 team as captain. The first time, he won the 5 T20 series against Australia by 4/1 in India. Today, we will see what Suryakumar’s young brigade delivers as captain because the main test for any team is a foreign tour and winning under foreign conditions.
On the other side is Aiden Markram, the captain of the Proteas (South Africa) team. They have the home advantage, and they know how to use their home conditions to their winning advantage. They have a fast, young bowling attack, and their batsmen are also very attacking. The match will be a very closely contested encounter.
Today’s match will be played at the Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban, South Africa. Let’s see the pitch conditions- the pitch, which helps fast bowlers with swinging deliveries, creating challenges for batsmen. The pitch is not favorable for spinner bowlers, and the outfield is quick, leading to the ball reaching the boundary quickly. The average first innings score on this ground is 153, while the average second innings score is 135. In 20 matches played at this ground, the team batting first has won 11 times, and the team batting second has won 9 times. According to the ground record, winning the toss and choosing to bat second can be a captain’s strategy, and rain plays a major role in boosting the winning percentage for the team batting second.
There is a crucial factor to consider, as rain is expected during today’s match with a 70% chance, which could potentially spoil the sport. The match might be interrupted or possibly stopped due to rain, creating a sad moment for the spectators who have gathered from all over the world and for the teams. Of course, this affects the entire global audience who enjoys the live streaming of the match. Let’s see what happens in the match; we can only hope that the rain stays away, allowing us to enjoy the live action.
India and South Africa have faced each other in T20 internationals 24 times, with India leading by winning 13 matches and South Africa winning 10 times. One match ended with no result.
Today’s squads for both sides are as follows:
South Africa Squad: Aiden Markram (c), Ottneil Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Beuran Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Lizaad Williams.
India Squad: Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jitesh Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar.
Fans can enjoy this match on Star Sports and the Disney+Hotstar website. For mobile users, the match can be streamed on the Disney+Hotstar app. The match will start at 7:30 pm IST (Indian Standard Time).
