South Africa just announced their squad and there are some interesting names in there. The T20 series against India starts on December 9 in Cuttack. Aiden Markram will be leading the South Africa squad. The Proteas beat India 2-0 in Tests but then lost the ODI series 1-2. These five-match T20Is between these two sides should be absolutely cracking to watch.
Key Players Returning to the Team
Anrich Nortje coming back is massive news for the Proteas after his injury nightmare. SA missed having a proper quick bowler like him in their squad lately. Quinton de Kock, Lungi Ngidi, and other big names are all there, ready. They’ve mixed experienced players with youngsters. This could work really well against the home team here.
Coach Shukri Conrad mentioned that this series helps them figure out their best players. He’s clearly using these matches to test combinations before bigger tournaments arrive. The team selection tells you they’re already planning for that 2026 Cricket World Cup.
SA T20 Side:
Aiden Markram (C), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde, Lutho Sipamla, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tristan Stubbs
Injury Problems Hitting South Africa Hard
Two major blows have hit the South Africa side right before this crucial series starts. Tony de Zorzi pulled his hamstring during the second ODI and had to fly back home. That’s a huge loss for their batting lineup against a strong bowling attack here.
Kwena Mphaka is also out with a left hamstring injury that needs proper recovery time. Lutho Sipamla got called up to replace him in the T20 squad announcement. Kagiso Rabada won’t play either because of a rib bone stress injury bothering him. These injuries really mess up visitors’ planning for the T20 series ahead.
What the Head-to-Head Record Shows
India has absolutely dominated South Africa in T20 matches over the years honestly. They’ve beaten the Proteas 18 times out of 31 games played between them. That’s a pretty bad record for SA to carry into this series really. The side knows they need to flip this script and perform way better now.
Suryakumar Yadav captains India with serious fire powers like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya in the T20 squad. SA faces a tough challenge changing their losing record against India this time.
