T20 WC, IND vs SA: Aiden Markram elects to bat
What's the story
India and South Africa are up against each other in their respective first Super Eight match in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. The highly-anticipated match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Both teams have been in stellar form, winning all their respective four group-stage matches. They now aim to extend their stellar run in the Super 8 stage. Meanwhile, South African skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bat.
Match history
India's unbeaten run in the tournament
India's unbeaten streak in the tournament started with a 29-run win over the USA, followed by a massive 93-run victory against Namibia. They also beat Pakistan by 61 runs and Netherlands by 17 runs to top Group A. Despite some loopholes in their campaign, the defending champions have managed to overcome them.
Impressive performance
South Africa's journey to the Super Eights
Like India, South Africa's journey to the Super Eights has been equally impressive. They started with a 57-run win over Canada and a thrilling double Super Over victory against Afghanistan. The Proteas then easily chased down targets against New Zealand and UAE in their group-stage matches. This flawless performance has set up an exciting showdown against India in the Super Eights stage of the tournament.
Match details
Pitch report, conditions and streaming details
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is known for its batting-friendly conditions. The large boundaries allow batters to score runs freely, but bowlers need to be careful with their lines and lengths. As the match will get underway at 7:00pm IST, dew can play an important part. Fans can catch all the action live on Star Sports Network and JioHotstar (App & Website).
Team stats
A look at head-to-head record
According to ESPNcricinfo, India and South Africa have faced each other 35 times in T20Is. Team India has won 21 matches, while South Africa has pocketed 13 wins (NR: 1). In T20 World Cups, the two teams have clashed seven times, with India winning five encounters. On Indian soil, India have seven wins and one defeat against South Africa (T20Is).
Player spotlight
Key performers for both teams
For India, wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has been in great form, scoring 176 runs in four games at an average of 44.00. On the other hand, Varun Chakravarthy has been India's best bowler with nine wickets in four innings at an economy of 5.16. For South Africa, captain Aiden Markram has scored 178 runs at a strike rate of 187.36. Lungi Ngidi has taken eight wickets across three games in this edition at 11.37.
XIs
Here are the playing XIs
India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy. South Africa (Playing XI): Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
Changes
Four changes for South Africa
South Africa have made four changes to their XI after experimenting their bench strength in their last outing against UAE. The likes of Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, and David Miller have returned, with George Linde, Jason Smith, Anrich Nortje, and Kwena Maphaka making way for them. Meanwhile, India have decided to retain their winning combination.