The first T20I between India and South Africa in Durban was abandoned due to rain.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), BCCI shared a video of the Indian team’s arrival followed by a grand welcome by the fans at the airport.
The first game of the three-match T20I series between India and South Africa in Durban was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.
It is an important series for both the teams keeping the T20 World Cup 2024 in mind. The marquee event is slated to be held in the West Indies and USA in June next year.
Suryakumar Yadav is leading the young Indian team in this series in the absence of regular T20I skipper Hardik Pandya, who is still recovering from the ankle injury he sustained during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
Ahead of the series opener, Suryakumar told his players to continue with the same fearless approach they displayed in the recently held home series against Australia.
“I think the key to success on such wickets will be to be yourself. The boys have prepared well. We are coming from a good T20I series win and have played on all fast tracks and all batters have played on such wickets. They will enjoy playing here in South Africa,” Surya said in the pre-series press conference.
“The players put their hands up against Australia and came up with fearless cricket, and we need to play the same against South Africa. I just told them (players) to do exactly what they do in franchise cricket,” he added.
India’s T20I Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma(wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan, Mukesh Kumar, Washington Sundar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Kuldeep Yadav