Sports

By Niharika Raina
New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS) India left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav remarked that he was not at all dejected over his non-selection for the upcoming T20 World Cup, starting in Australia this month and insisted he's working on his processes on match-by-match basis apart from a boost in confidence.



"I am not disappointed (over not getting selected) in the T20 World Cup as I am working on my process match by match. I am assessing how I can improve. My confidence improved after the IPL. I went to the West Indies and bowled well there."

"I bowled well in Zimbabwe, too, and for India A recently. I've always had confidence. Wickets or the lack of them don't reflect the confidence I have. Throughout the series, I was bowling as well as I wanted to bowl. My confidence has gone up," said Kuldeep in the post-match press conference.

Kuldeep had suffered a knee injury during the second half of IPL 2021 and had to undergo surgery for the same, keeping him out of action for a long time. After he made a comeback through the ODIs against the West Indies, Kuldeep shined in IPL 2022, picking 21 wickets for Delhi Capitals, becoming the fifth leading wicket-taker in the competition.

A hand injury saw him miss the five T20Is against South Africa at home, followed by short series against Ireland and trip to England. Since his comeback through five T20Is against the West Indies, Kuldeep has been looking at his best. He mentioned that working hard on his rhythm and zero compromise on his ability to spin the ball post comeback from injury is bringing him the desired results.

"I have worked on my rhythm after coming back from injury. That's the reason I could increase the pace of my deliveries. Earlier, I used to impart pace on the ball from my shoulder. But now I got the rhythm to vary the pace. I got the confidence from the IPL. But my focus has always been on getting the ball to spin. I'm not compromising on the spin. I'm getting good turn and batsmen are not getting so much time to play the deliveries, so I'm working on that."

Kuldeep, who starred in India's seven-wicket ODI series decider victory in New Delhi with a brilliant 4/18, signed off by explaining the difference between him bowling in 20-over and 50-over formats. "I now know the difference between bowling ODIs and T20Is, which I realised during the IPL and in the subsequent T20 matches I played. When I was playing first match in Zimbabwe, my pace and rhythm was as per the T20 format."

"Suddenly, I had to change as the batter has a lot of time to play a shot and won't play much of them. So I had to realise that varying my pace was very important, like oscillating between slow and fast is very important apart from difference in flighting and batter trying to get runs against you."

"In T20s, you need to keep hitting the right lengths. It is very rare that you flight the deliveries as if a batter is under pressure, you would want to flight the ball. With IPL and so much cricket around, I try to hit the length as much as I can and at same pace so that batter doesn't get time to play. In ODIs, it's totally different as varying pace becomes very important."


--IANS

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Dubai, Oct 12 (IANS) Mehar Chhayakar, an Indian cricketer formerly based in the UAE who was linked to corruption cases in the Middle-east country in 2019, has been banned from all cricket for 14 years for seven breaches of the sport's anti-corruption code, said the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday.

The ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal found Chhayakar guilty of attempting to influence aspects of the UAE's ODI series in Zimbabwe in 2019 as well as matches in the Global T20 franchise tournament in Canada the same year.

The ICC issued a statement on Wednesday, saying, "Mehar Chhayakar has been banned from all cricket for 14 years after an ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal found him guilty of seven breaches of the ICC and Cricket Canada Anti-Corruption Codes."

ICC also listed the charges against the cricketer, with the global cricket governing body saying he was involved in "fixing or contriving in any way or otherwise influencing improperly" on two separate occasions.

"Chhayakar, was found to have breached the following provisions of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code and Cricket Canada Anti-Corruption Code in relation to matches in the Zimbabwe v UAE series in April 2019 and matches in the GT20 in Canada in 2019," said ICC.

"Article 2.1.1 (on two separate occasions) -- Fixing or contriving in any way or otherwise influencing improperly or being a party to any agreement or effort to fix or contrive in any way or otherwise influence improperly, the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any International Match, including (without limitation) by deliberately underperforming therein.

"Article 2.1.4 (on two separate occasions) -- Directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any Participant to breach any of the foregoing provisions of this Article 2.1.

"Article 2.4.6 (on two separate occasions) -- Failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to cooperation with any investigation carried out by the ACU in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code (by any Participant), including (without limitation) failing to provide accurately and completely any information and/or documentation requested by the ACU (whether as part of a formal Demand pursuant to Article 4.3 or otherwise) as part of such investigation.

"Article 2.4.7 -- Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the ACU in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code (by any Participant), including (without limitation) concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence of or may lead to the discovery of evidence of Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code)."

ICC general manager, Integrity Unit, Alex Marshal, said, "We first encountered Mehar Chhayakar through his involvement in organising a corrupt cricket tournament in Ajman, in 2018. The charges for which he has now received a lengthy ban are further examples of his continuing efforts to corrupt and damage our sport.

"We will be relentless in pursuing and disrupting the people who try to corrupt cricket. With a ban of 14 years, the Tribunal has sent a clear message to anyone intending to corrupt our game."

Chhayakar's offences are linked to the previous cases of former UAE players Qadeer Khan and Gulam Shabbir. Both Qadeer and Shabbir accepted sanctions for admitted breaches of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code relating to approaches they received from Chhayakar.

--IANS

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By Niharika Raina
New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS) Before the start of India's ODI series against South Africa, a major talking point was how the hosts were able to field an entirely competitive squad despite the first-choice players flying early to Australia to prepare for the T20 World Cup.



South Africa, on the other hand, fielded their main squad for the series which carried huge importance for direct qualification in next year's ODI World Cup.

Now, after the 2-1 ODI series loss, which has made things difficult for them to get a direct qualification, head coach Mark Boucher admitted that fielding two different teams for two white-ball formats could have been better.

"In a perfect world, yes. It took us some time to get used to conditions (in India), we didn't arrive early enough. The Indian side we played against were fresh; they were bouncing around. Our guys were fatigued. But it's also difficult because we don't have the depth India does. We also had pressure to try and win every game. So we decided to stick with the squad we thought could win games. But in hindsight it could have been a better option," said Boucher in the post-match press conference.

In Tuesday's ODI series decider, where they missed Temba Bavuma, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi due to illness, South Africa were shot out for just 99 in 27.1 overs, their lowest ODI score against India, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Barring Heinrich Klaasen and Janneman Malan to some extent, none of the batters were able to put a price on their wicket and fell either to the brilliance of India's bowling attack or caused their own downfall.

"With the schedule that we've had you can't expect the players to be up for every single game. That's when you rely on your technical side and your mental side to pull you through. We've been a little bit weak in both those departments.

"(In the match) especially there were a couple of soft dismissals up front and maybe one or two technical things on a pitch that was uneven in its turn -- one turned, one didn't -- and we were found out there.

"I allude back to keeping the players fresh so that the mental part of their game is right up there along with the technical side. I think then we can get the best results from these players," stated Boucher, who will step down as South Africa's head coach after the end of T20 World Cup in Australia.

South Africa, now ranked 11th in ODI World Cup Super League points table, have now got only five matches -- three against England in January and two against the Netherlands in March at home -- to make a serious push for the direct qualification and avoid taking the World Cup qualifiers route.

But the path to winning all of them, let alone emerging victorious in three of those matches, isn't as straightforward as it looks. ODIs against England are happening when the inaugural SA20 will be on while the 50-over matches against the Netherlands may have a clash with 2023 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

"That's not ideal. The reason we are in this situation is that we haven't always had continuity in our one-day team, and there's been various reasons for that -- players leaving to come to the IPL and Covid. The guys will know what's required against the Netherlands and England."

"We've got to win those games, and if we don't we've got to accept the fact that we've got to go and qualify for the next World Cup. We understand the situation we're in and we'll have to man up and face it when it comes our way," concluded Boucher.

--IANS

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Christchurch, Oct 12 (IANS) Pakistan will have the services of their pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi for the two warm-up games against England and Afghanistan ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia, after he missed the Asia Cup in the UAE, the seven-match T20I series against England and the Tri-series currently underway in New Zealand due to a right-knee ligament injury.

The young pace bowler, who wrecked India in Pakistan's 10-wicket win against the arch-rivals in the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, will join the Babar Azam-led squad in Australia after undergoing a rehabilitation programme under the supervision of the PCB Medical Advisory Committee.

The two warm-up games are scheduled on October 17 and 19 respectively, following which the team will play India in the blockbuster Super 12 match on October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

"I am super excited at the prospect of re-joining the national side for the T20 World Cup and playing my part in the campaign," Shaheen was quoted as saying by ICC. "It has been a difficult period for me to be away from the game and the team I love the most, and not be part of some gruelling and exciting matches.

"I have been bowling six to eight overs trouble-free for the past 10 days with full run-up and pace. While I have enjoyed bowling and batting in the nets, nothing can replace the feel of match environment and I can't wait to be in that setting," added Afridi.

Shaheen's match fitness will be assessed by the team management during the two warm-up matches. Shaheen Afridi had departed for London to complete rehabilitation following an injury to the right knee ligament.

"It has been a rigorous and challenging rehabilitation programme, but I have thoroughly enjoyed it. To be honest, I am feeling fitter than ever before and can't wait to wear the playing kit," he added.

--IANS

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By Niharika Raina
New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS) South Africa head coach Mark Boucher was left surprised over India bowling with far more aggression than the visitors in the recently-concluded ODI series which they lost 2-1.



At the same time, Boucher felt the conditions in Australia will help South Africa's fast bowlers in being aggressive during the T20 World Cup to be held later in the month in Australia.

"Keeping the guys fresh mentally and physically is going to be vital. Then we'll get the best results. Australia will suit our fast bowlers a lot better. We have got some good pace, some good bounce in our attack, so we need to keep the aggression there. I think in this last one-day game we played there wasn't enough aggression."

"Surprisingly India's bowling attack in the ODIs bowled with far more aggression than what we did. We did chat about it and the way Anrich Nortje bowled (during the match) was a positive sign for me, especially going into the conditions where that will be quite effective," said Boucher in the post-match press conference.

In Tuesday's ODI series decider in New Delhi, South Africa were unable to come out of a spin trip led by Kuldeep Yadav's 4/18, with Shahbaz Ahmed (2/32) and Washington Sundar (2/15) playing their part well. Along with Mohammed Siraj's 2/17, India skittled out South Africa for just 99, which the hosts chased down with seven wickets in hand to take the series 2-1.

Boucher admitted that the loss to end their tour of India was disappointing, but South Africa have now the T20 World Cup in their sights, with keeping players fresh a challenge for him.

"I think we have taken some lessons and we have had good chats behind closed doors to speak about things that we can get better at. That will stand us in good stead going forward to Australia where the conditions are completely different. It's disappointing to lose but we have a massive competition in front of us and that is what we are gearing up for.

"For the T20 stuff, keeping the guys fresh. We have come off a long tour of England straight into India, a couple of guys have been playing in the Caribbean league (CPL) as well. Keeping the guys mentally and physically fresh is going to be vital for the management and myself to monitor."

One of the biggest concerns for South Africa ahead of the showpiece event has been the form of regular skipper Temba Bavuma, who missed out on the last two ODIs due to illness. On his return to international cricket, Bavuma has made just 11 runs in four outings on the tour of India, a major concern which Boucher duly acknowledged with the T20 World Cup on the horizon.

"Temba will want to try and get some sort of form before the World Cup. We do still have two warm-up games and the conditions will suit his style of batting. We'll try to get him back up and running again and get him into the nets and hopefully give him a knock or two before the World Cup starts and see where he is at. He is the captain and we treat him like that.

"The conditions will suit (Bavuma's) style of batting a bit more in Australia. We'll try and get him back up and running again, get him into the nets to get him used to conditions and hopefully give him a knock or two before the start of the World Cup to see where he is at."

--IANS

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Kolkata, Oct 10 (IANS) Riding on brilliant goals by Kwame Karikari and Rahim Ali, Chennaiyin FC kickstarted their Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 campaign in style after beating ATK Mohun Bagan 2-1 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Monday.

Chennaiyin's Ghanaian striker Karikari (64th minute) scored a goal off penalty on his ISL debut before Rahim (83rd) struck home the winner. Manvir Singh (27th minute), on the other hand, netted the lone goal for the hosts.

Playing in front of the home fans, the 26-year-old striker put ATK Mohun Bagan in the lead by striking the opening goal. With a counter-attacking display by the Mariners, Manvir successfully converted a pass from Dimitri Petratos, leaving Chennaiyin FC goalkeeper Debjit Majumder with no chance as ATK Mohun Bagan ended the first-half with 58 percent of the ball possession.

Anirudh Thapa-led side came back aggressively after the break, creating more pressure on the opposition defence line.

They were soon rewarded for their attacking display when substitute player Karikari brought the ball into the penalty area before the opposition goalkeeper Vishal Kaith committed an error. Karikari made no mistake while taking the penalty kick and beautifully produced an equaliser for his side.

The goal shifted the momentum towards Chennaiyin as they continued to create opportunities before Rahim doubled the score for them. Edwin Sydney Vanspaul sent a good pass forward on the right wing to Karikari, who then cut the ball back to Rahim before the Indian found the far corner with a wonderfully placed shot to score the winner.

After the winning start to the campaign, Chennaiyin FC will now travel back home to Chennai for their next game against Bengaluru FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Friday. It will be a homecoming for Thomas Brdaric's men, who return to the city to play an ISL game after two years.

Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the last two seasons of the league were conducted behind closed doors in Goa. However, it has returned to its traditional home and away format in the ongoing season with the fans cheering for their favourite teams and stars from the stadiums.

--IANS

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Gandhinagar, Oct 10 (IANS) After failing to make an impression in two other sports, Haryana's Ankit Sharma decided to take up boxing as his profession. The move paid rich divided as Ankit on Monday stormed into the men's flyweight semifinals in the ongoing 36th National Games here.

First, he took up skating but the National Championship silver medallist had to leave it as he fell down during an event and returned home with broken teeth. Then, he tried his hand at taekwondo. But despite his best efforts, he could not shed the extra kilos, and also withdrew from the sport.

Determined to give his son a sports life, Rampat Sharma, who manages a construction business, decided to take him to Rohtas Kumar, a coach at a nearby Boxing Academy in Sonipat.

"Initially, I put him into skating. He won two silver medals in junior-level competitions in Bhiwani. Later, in another competition, he slipped and returned home with a couple of broken teeth. I found the sport too dangerous for the child and decided to take him to taekwondo. I wanted him to lose some weight. But after a few weeks I couldn't find any positive results," Rampat revealed.

"He was around 4 or 5 when I decided to put him in boxing. I decided to take him to the coach who has taken care of his career since then," he added.

For coach Rohtas Kumar, the 2019 Khelo India Youth Games gold medallist, was one of his most hardworking wards.

"He came to me when he was around 6 years. He was a chubby kid but was very disciplined from the beginning. Even after winning a medal, he wouldn't go overboard with his celebrations or stop his training. He's one of the very few kids who wouldn't let me rest even on Sundays," the coach recalled.

Ankit Sharma missed the Asian Championships trials last month due to an injury in his left shoulder. Now back to full fitness, he has looked impressive in the initial rounds.

A gold medallist at the 2022 Inter-University Games, Ankit will be up against Punjab's Sparsh Kumar in the semifinals of the men's flyweight 51kg weight division. Kumar expressed confidence in his ward's chances of winning the gold but cautioned Ankit against any complacencies, the organisers informed in a press release on Monday.

"Everyone comes prepared. It will be foolish to take the opponent lightly. But Ankit has the potential to clinch the gold medal at the National Games, this will boost his confidence, going forward," he said.

After the National Games, Ankit will be returning to the national camp to prepare for the upcoming Senior National Boxing Championships in December. He also has one eye on the Asian Games and the World Championships, which will also serve as a qualifying event for the Paris Olympics in 2024.

--IANS

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Ahmedabad, Oct 10 (IANS) Maharashtra's Rupali Sunil Gangawane dished out a clinical performance to claim her second gold medal in the 36th National Games Mallakhamb competition at the Sanskardham Sports Academy here on Monday.

The Mumbaikar secured the Women's Individual All-round crown to add to Maharashtra's Women's Team gold.

Rupali Gangawane, the 23-year-old reigning queen of Mallakhambh, scored 17.80 points on the Pole and the Rope to win gold by a 0.50-point margin from her teammate Janhavi Suresh Jadhav. These successes helped Maharashtra's rise to second place on the medal tally with 32 gold medals behind Services and ahead of Haryana.

With Ajatasatru Sharma, S. Albert Raj, Bhumjit Singh and Gyanjit Arambam paddling in unison to K4 Sprint gold in the canoeing and kayaking competition on the river Sabarmati, Services increased the haul of gold to 52. Services have 33 silver and 29 bronze for a total of 114 medals. Maharashtra have a total of 122 medals, including 32 gold, while Haryana are third with 31 gold in a total of 98.

There was, however, a massive disappointment for the Maharashtra men's hockey team who were unable to make the most of their pre-match favourites tag against Uttar Pradesh in the semifinals at the Maj. Dhyan Chand Stadium in Rajkot. Maharashtra rallied from three goals down to take the match into the penalty shootout but ran out of luck.

Sumit scored in the 22nd minute to give Uttar Pradesh the lead. Sunil Yadav doubled the tally with a penalty-corner goal in injury time in the second quarter while Manish Yadav made it 3-0 with a penalty corner conversion seven minutes into the third quarter. Maharashtra bounced back through Aniket Gurav (40th and 47th minutes) and Sayyad Niyaz Rahim (55).

In the shoot-out, the teams were level 2-2 after four attempts each. Rajkumar Pal and Rahul Kumar Rajbhar put Uttar Pradesh 2-0 ahead before Darshan Gawkar and Yuvraj Walmiki brought Maharashtra back into the contest. Venkatesh Kenche could not beat Uttar Pradesh goalkeeper Prashant Kumar while skipper Lalit Kumar Upadhyay found the winner.

Back on the Sabarmati, it was heartening to watch the experienced Rajina Kiro hold her own in the Women's K1 500m Sprint against Kaushal Nandini Thakur (Chhattisgarh) and Pooja (Haryana).

Rahasri Manogar Babu (Tamil Nadu) won the Soft Tennis women's singles gold with an easy win over Aadhya Tiwari (Madhya Pradesh). She then had to put her best foot forward in beatin' the home state's Hetvee Chaudhari 1-4, 2-4, 4-1, 4-1, 1-4, 9-7, 7-0 in the semifinals.

Late on Sunday, the battle f'r Mallakhambh men's Individual All-round gold, fea'uring Maharashtra's Akshay Taral from Mumbai and Shubhankar from Pune, brought fans in Sanskardham to the edge of their seats. Only 0.15 points separated the two contestants while Chandrashekhar Chauhan (Madhya Pradesh) was a further 0.35 points behind.

--IANS

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Bhubaneswar, Oct 10 (IANS) Ahead of the first match in the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup against USA, head coach Thomas Dennerby said that the Indian team's main focus will be remain on executing the gameplan and if we can stick with our plans we have a team that is hard to score against.

India is set to begin its FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022 campaign against the USA at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.

Addressing the media at the official pre-match press conference, coach Dennerby spoke about opponents and his expectations from the match.

"We have a team that we know can defend very well. Tomorrow, one thing that everyone should be able to see is how hard it will be to score against us. If we utilise the chances we create, we can come out with points. The USA will come as the favourites but it's all on paper. Our focus is on our game plan. If we have our best day and score an early goal, it will be good for us," he stated.

The Young Tigresses will have the backing of the home crowd to push them forward and Dennerby stressed how matters will be decided by what happens on the pitch.

"Home advantage is always there. Some girls can feel a little pressure if they see a large crowd in the stadium. However, it's on the pitch that everything will be decided and the outcome of the match will be determined," he said.

Captain Astam Oraon spoke about the team's excitement levels ahead of the opening fixture and said the team is "strong physically and mentally."

"The team is excited to play against the USA and finally get the tournament started after training together for 6-7 months. Tomorrow is the day when we have to leave everything on the field. Our full focus is on the matches ahead and nothing else matters to us," the defender said.

She continued, "We have to sleep and rest well today. All the players are feeling strong physically and mentally. We have worked hard on our endurance levels through gym and running sessions. We will give our opponents a good fight tomorrow."

Dennerby said, "We showed last week against Sweden that we can match up against one of the best teams in the world. Everyone is looking forward to the game tomorrow and all of us are ready."

"Of course, India will qualify for the quarterfinals. Everyone starts from zero points. It will be a huge success if we reach that stage!" he added.

Astam, who hails from Gumla district in Jharkhand, lauded the support provided by the Governments of Odisha and her home state.

"The Government of Jharkhand has helped a lot during our training time in Jamshedpur. The same goes for the Government of Odisha -- everything is well-organised, the facilities are excellent and the overall environment is extremely positive. We are really happy about everything," she said.

--IANS

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By Niharika Raina
New Delhi, Oct 10 (IANS) When South Africa last came to New Delhi for the T20I series opener in June, they were greeted by an intense heatwave where the temperature breached 45 degrees mark on certain days. Cut to October now, and the Proteas will be back in New Delhi to play the ODI series decider against India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.



But this time, instead of scorching heat, it will be the rain threat which will be looming over the series decider, apart from the possibility of a truncated match. India's national capital has recording 121.7 mm of rain in first ten days of the current month, resulting in water-logged roads and traffic thrown into chaos.

Though the weather forecast shows less of scattered rain and more of sunshine on Tuesday, with the ground covered due to heavy rain in last 72 hours, one can expect a pitch which will have some moisture around and assist the fast bowlers.

With India's emphatic seven-wicket victory over South Africa in Ranchi setting the stage for a winner-takes-it-all clash in New Delhi, many cricket fans have been nervously scrolling through weather apps and making earnest prayers to the Almighty for Tuesday's match to go smoothly without any interruption.

For India, a victory on New Delhi's return to hosting an ODI match after three years, will continue their winning juggernaut in the format which began after co-incidentally losing a three-match series in South Africa earlier this year.

The ODIs against South Africa have been a reminder of the quality and depth of white-ball players in India though captain Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill haven't produced substantial contributions yet.

If Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer and Shardul Thakur shined bright in Lucknow despite the narrow nine-run loss, then it was Iyer, Ishan Kishan and Mohammed Siraj's turn to power India to a series-levelling win.

Iyer, in particular, has been making some serious noise through his form in ODIs this year making 458 runs in nine innings at an average of 57.25. He has made runs against the West Indies in Ahmedabad and then in the Caribbean, followed by looking pristine in his counter-attacking fifty in Lucknow and a magnificent 113 not out in Ranchi against South Africa.

Irrespective of how he fares in New Delhi, where he got his first international cap in 2017, Iyer has emerged as a serious contender for grabbing middle-order spots ahead of the ODI World Cup in India next year.

With the ball, India corrected their mistakes from Lucknow by stifling the South African run-flow in the back end of the innings. Despite Aiden Markram and Reeza Hendricks making 70s, India's bowling attack, especially Siraj shining with 3/38 executed slower balls and straighter lines to perfection.

It resulted in India giving away only 57 runs in the last ten overs. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and debutant Shahbaz Ahmed were impressive in Ranchi while posing questions to South Africa batters.

South Africa, on the other hand, badly need a win on Tuesday to put themselves back on track for direct qualification for next year's ODI World Cup. A narrow win in Lucknow gave them the vital ten points, but a loss in Ranchi, with dew hampering them in defence of 278, gave them a setback on the quest for direct qualification.

Currently at 11th place in the Super League points table, South Africa's aim will be to now sign off from the tour of India with a win and get those crucial ten points before flying to Australia to focus on their Men's T20 World Cup campaign.

The visitors' will be buoyed by the runs made by Markram and Hendricks apart from David Miller in the form of his life and Heinrich Klaasen capable of producing the big hits. If Temba Bavuma, who sat out of Sunday's match in Ranchi, is fit enough to take the field in New Delhi, South Africa will be praying for him to get some vital runs under his belt before T20 World Cup arrives, provided the rain stays away.

Squads

India: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Rajat Patidar, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada and Tabraiz Shamsi.


--IANS
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