In what is a huge blow to South Africa ahead of their first T20I vs India on December 10, pacer Lungi Ngidi has been ruled out of the match because of injury. As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, Ngidi has a left ankle sprain and is doubtful starter in Durban. Ngidi is South Africa's opening bowler who was picked for the first two T20Is vs India before he joined his domestic team to play a four-match game starting on December 14 in pursuit to get better with red ball ahead of the Test series vs visitors.
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Now, all of these plans have gone to the back burner. His availability for the match will depend on an evaluation by Cricket South Africa's medical team.
Ngidi has been replaced by Beuran Hendricks. He is a left-arm seamer who has played 19 t20Is for Proteas Men so far. But he has not played any T20I for SA for more than two years. Ngidi getting ruled out means that SA's pace attack lacks experience even if skills levels have not been compromised. Kagiso Rabada was not picked for the T20Is as the selectors wanted to give him rest ahead of the Tests. Meanwhile, Anrich Nortje continues his recovery from lower-back stress fracture.
Focused on the task at hand this Sunday _
New faces and new opportunities for the Proteas _
Durban are you ready for the first T20I between #SAvIND ____#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/DER9K0sMwZ
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) December 7, 2023
SA still have a lot of quality in thei fast bowling department in form of Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Lizaad Williams, Ottniel Baartman and Hendricks. Not to forget, all-rounders Nandre Burger and Andile Phehlukwayo are there to chip in with some overs.
South Africa will also hope that their star and experienced spinners who are featuring in both the white-ball squads - Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi - come good in the T20Is.
Coming to the Indian team, they are in South Africa for the T20Is without captain Hardik Pandya, who is healing his ankle. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the side in Pandya's absence. SKY, as he is popularly known, just led India to a 4-1 series win in T20Is over Australia at home. But beating South Africa in South Africa is no easy thing to do. India have a young T20 squad at helm and hopefully, the likes of Ishan Kishan, Rinku Singh, Arshdeep Singh and Ravi Bishnoi will come good in the series.
India T20I squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohd Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, and Deepak Chahar.2 days ago
South Africa T20I squad: Aiden Markram (captain), Ottniel Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Beuran Hendricks, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs and Lizaad Williams.
