South Africa suffered a major setback ahead of the first T20 match against Team India. Top-order batsman Aiden Markram tested Covid-19 positive on Thursday ahead of the first T20I against India at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. South Africa captain Temba Bavuma confirmed this during the toss. He added that Tristan Stubbs has replaced Markram and he will also make his debut.
Speaking at the toss, Bavuma said, “We will bowl first. We played a practice match here a few days back, later the wicket gets better for batting. It is a bit slow in the beginning. Hopefully, we can take advantage of that and chase after restricting them to a good score. Aiden is not available for selection as he is positive. Stubbs will debut in his place. We will play two all-rounders Dwayne Pretorius and Wayne Parnell. It’s an important series because we haven’t been together as a group since the World Cup. This is a preparation for the World Cup to be held in Australia.
Markram was in excellent form – Markram played a key role in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s middle order in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL 2022). He batted brilliantly and scored 381 runs in 14 matches with the help of three half-centuries. Right handed batsman opens for South Africa.
Stubbs played for Mumbai Indians – 21-year-old Stubbs was also a part of IPL 2022. He got a chance in the Mumbai Indians team after England’s Tymal Mills was injured. Stubbs played two matches for the five-time champions in the 2022 season. During this his performance was nothing special. India is hosting South Africa for five T20 Internationals at five venues between June 9-19.
Dinesh Karthik’s return – Meanwhile, Team India is being led by Rishabh Pant. He told during the toss that Ishan Kishan and Rituraj Gaikwad will be seen opening. While Dinesh Karthik will be in the role of the finisher. Karthik is playing international cricket for the first time since the year 2019. He performed brilliantly for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2022.