Due to severe rain in Durban, the first Twenty20 international of India’s tour of South Africa was cancelled. As required by the rules, Cricket South Africa waited until the very last minute, but when the rain didn’t seem to be stopping, the cricket board ultimately opted to call off the match.
Rain greets the young Team India in Durban, causing the first T20 international toss to be postponed. The spectators are pleading to the rain gods to let the game begin as soon as possible while the coverings are on the pitch.
India, captained by Suryakumar Yadav, will play the Proteas in the three-match Twenty20 International series.
Having defeated the Australians in their backyard in the series, the Indians approach the game with a lot of confidence. Surya and the team won’t, however, be overly comforted by their victory on home soil because it was against a reduced Australian lineup right after the World Cup, and India’s batting-friendly conditions aided their batsmen’s style.
Playing in South Africa, however, will be a completely other ball game because Indian batters, particularly those like Shreyas Iyer, may once again be tested on their susceptibility to the short ball due to the swinging and seaming conditions in the SENA nation.
Ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup, which is less than six months away, several players will have the chance to simply lock up their spot in the India T20 XI. Players who have shown signs of improvement, including Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Shreyas Iyer, will need to keep up their strong play to convince the selectors.
Experienced pacer Kagiso Rabada will not be available for the Proteas due to injury, but other pacers like Gerald Coetzee, Marco Jansen, and Lungi Ngidi will be available to play domestic 4-day cricket following the second T20I.
The second T20 is scheduled for tomorrow 11/12/23.