South Africa takes on India in the second T20I in Gqeberha on Tuesday, December 12. The first T20I was washed out due to rain. There is a rain forecast for the second T20I as well. In case this match also gets rained out, the team that wins the third T20I will win the series. 

South Africa will be led by Aiden Markram. He has the likes of David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen as batters in this series. Meanwhile, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje have been rested for this series with Grand Coetzee leading the bowling attack.

South Africa are sixth heading into the series while India are the top-ranked T20I side. The men in Blue are fresh off a T20I series win against Australia. South Africa meanwhile are playing their first international assignment since the World Cup.

The Proteas should take this series as a dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup next year in the US and the Caribbean. The Proteas are yet to win a major ICC trophy for a long time now and this series should be an ideal preparation for the same.

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The two teams have played 25 T20Is to date with India winning 13 games and South Africa 10. This is the first time both teams are playing at the venue that has hosted just 8 T20Is. 

South Africa Playing 11 vs India – 2nd T20I, 2023

Reeza Hendricks 

Reeza will open the batting for South Africa. In the absence of Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock, he needs to give his team a good start. Hendricks was a part of South Africa’s ODI World Cup squad. He scored 101 runs in the T20I three-match series against Australia.

Tristan Stubbs 

Stubbs can open the batting for South Africa. The right-handed batsman was part of the previous T20I series against Australia. He scored just 52 runs in the three-match series against Australia. He has an opportunity to make an impact at the top of the order.

Aiden Markram (C)

Markram the skipper will bat at three. He has led South previously in ODIs and T20Is as well. His leadership will be tested against India. Markram led South Africa in the first two matches in the World Cup. Against Australia, in the last T20I series, he scored 97 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 142.

Donovan Ferreira

Ferreira made his debut in the T20I series against Australia in September. He scored 48 in his debut game which was also in Durban. He has a reputation of being a big-hitter across T20 leagues. 

David Miller 

Miller will slot in at five. He has a wealth of experience playing against India and also against all Indian bowlers in the IPL. South Africa will bank on him to come good in this series. He scored a century in his last knock for South Africa in the World Cup semi-final against Australia.

Heinrich Klaasen (WK)

Klassen will bat at six. He has a good record against India having scored 210 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 166.67 with two fifties. The right-handed batsman last played a T20I game in March 2023 against West Indies. Overall, he has scored 710 runs in 41 T20Is.

Marco Jansen 

Jansen the all-rounder will slot in at seven. He picked up 17 wickets in the World Cup proving his skills as a bowler. He is a handy lower-order hitter down the order and can swing the ball in the early overs. 

Gerald Coetzee

Coetzee will lead the bowling attack in the absence of Rabada and Nortje. He picked up 20 wickets in the World Cup showing his skillset as a bowler. Against Australia in the previous T20I series, he picked up three wickets at an economy of 10.98.

Lungi Ngidi 

Ngidi will be the third seamer in the lineup. He also has a lot of experience playing against India. He has picked up 60 wickets from 40 T20Is for South Africa. The pacer picked up five wickets in three matches against Australia in the previous T20I series. 

Keshav Maharaj 

Keshav Maharaj will be one of the two specialist spinners. He did not play the T20I series against Australia heading into the World Cup. However, he picked up 8 wickets in the ODI series followed by 15 wickets in the World Cup. Maharaj has picked up 22 wickets from 26 T20Is. 

Tabraiz Shamsi 

Tabraiz Shamsi will conclude the playing XI with his left-arm wrist spin. He also played in the World Cup but did not get to play too many games. Shamsi has picked up 76 wickets from 63 T20Is. Shamsi picked up two wickets in two T20Is against Australia.

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