India v South Africa | 2nd T20I | Thursday 11 December | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium New Chandigarh | 3:30pm
There were a few bright spots despite the heavy defeat. Anrich Nortje and David Miller both returned after long injury layoffs which is a major boost for the visitors.
For India Hardik Pandya also made his comeback. He looked sharp from ball one and walked away with the Man of the Match award thanks to a blistering 59 from 28 balls.
India have three batsmen inside the ICC’s top ten with Abhishek Sharma at one Tilak Varma at five and Suryakumar Yadav at eight. Dewald Brevis is South Africa’s highest ranked batsman at 11.
India have won four of the last five T20Is against the Proteas. Their last two victories have been by more than 100 runs which underlines the gap South Africa need to close.
Jasprit Bumrah’s two for 17 in the opener made him the second Indian after Arshdeep Singh to reach 100 T20I wickets. He also became only the fifth player in history to take 100 wickets in all three international formats joining Lasith Malinga Shakib Al Hasan Tim Southee and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Venue: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium New Chandigarh
This will be the first ever men’s international match of any format at this ground. The stadium was completed in 2021 and has previously hosted two women’s ODIs.
Weather
Expect a crisp clear winter day in New Chandigarh. Skies should be sunny with a high of around 22 degrees and a low near 9. Humidity will hover at about 45 percent with a gentle northwest breeze and no chance of rain.
Form (most recent first)
India: W NR W W L
South Africa: L L L W L
Key players
India: Shubman Gill
Gill returns from injury with a point to prove. He is the only member of India’s top four who sits outside the ICC top ten yet he remains a class act. He failed in the opener but his recent T20I form against Australia included an unbeaten 29 and a fluent 46. His record against South Africa is poor with just 12 runs in three innings which suggests he may be due a score.
South Africa: Tristan Stubbs
Stubbs returned at number three after being rested for the ODIs. He made a lively 14 from nine balls and looked comfortable before falling. While he has not produced a big score recently he has reached double figures in every T20I he has played this year. His best of 76 came just over a year ago and with 35 T20I innings to his name he will be hungry to make a statement.
Verdict: South Africa
The Proteas must find a way to respond after a humbling defeat. They showed glimpses of quality but not for long enough. If they can inject some steel into their top order they have the tools to trouble the world champions.