CRICKET
‘Abhi mazza aayega na bhidu’ – Fans react as Cricket South Africa unveils squads for upcoming all format home series against India
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has officially unveiled the Proteas squads for the highly anticipated all-format tour against India, scheduled to take place from December 10 to January 7. The announcement brings several strategic changes, with an emphasis on white-ball specialists transitioning to red-ball cricket as the Test series takes precedence.
In a surprising move, skipper Temba Bavuma and pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada find themselves omitted from the white-ball leg of the tour. Both players are set to return for the Test series, underscoring the strategic shift in focus towards the longer format. Aiden Markram, known for his versatile batting, has been entrusted with the captaincy duties for both the T20I and ODI series against India.
Notably absent from any of the squads is Dewald Brevis, indicating a possible decision to nurture and groom the young talent further before international exposure. The inclusion of domestic players in the squads highlights CSA’s commitment to providing opportunities and broadening the talent pool.
Aiden Markram is set to lead South Africa in white-ball cricket!
The T20I squad is led by Markram and features a mix of experience and youth, with the likes of Reeza Hendricks and David Miller alongside emerging talents such as Nandre Burger and Gerald Coetzee. The ODI squad, captained by Markram as well, boasts a well-balanced combination of batting prowess and bowling variety.
For the Test series, Bavuma resumes captaincy duties, and Rabada returns to spearhead the pace attack. The squad features a blend of seasoned campaigners like Dean Elgar and newcomers such as Marco Jansen, highlighting the Proteas’ intent to balance experience and youth in the longest format.
This squad announcement reflects CSA’s strategic vision, aiming for a comprehensive performance across all formats against a formidable Indian side. Cricket enthusiasts eagerly anticipate the clash between these two cricketing giants as South Africa gears up for a challenging yet exciting series on home soil.
Here is South Africa’s squads:
| Test Squad | ODI Squad | T20I Squad |
|---|---|---|
| – Temba Bavuma (c) | – Aiden Markram (c) | – Aiden Markram (c) |
| – David Bedingham | – Ottniel Baartman | – Ottniel Baartman |
| – Nandre Burger | – Nandre Burger | – Matthew Breetzke |
| – Gerald Coetzee | – Tony de Zorzi | – Nandre Burger |
| – Tony de Zorzi | – Reeza Hendricks | – Gerald Coetzee (1st and 2nd T20Is) |
| – Dean Elgar | – Heinrich Klaasen | – Donovan Ferreira |
| – Marco Jansen | – Keshav Maharaj | – Reeza Hendricks |
| – Keshav Maharaj | – Mihlali Mpongwana | – Marco Jansen (1st and 2nd T20Is) |
| – Aiden Markram | – David Miller | – Heinrich Klaasen |
| – Wiaan Mulder | – Wiaan Mulder | – Keshav Maharaj |
| – Lungi Ngidi | – Andile Phehlukwayo | – David Miller |
| – Keegan Petersen | – Tabraiz Shamsi | – Lungi Ngidi (1st and 2nd T20Is) |
| – Kagiso Rabada | – Rassie van der Dussen | – Andile Phehlukwayo |
| – Tristan Stubbs | – Kyle Verreynne | – Tabraiz Shamsi |
| – Kyle Verreynne | – Lizaad Williams | – Tristan Stubbs |
| – Lizaad Williams |
Here is India’s Squad:
| Test Squad | ODI Squad | T20I Squad |
|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma (C) | Ruturaj Gaikwad | – Yashasvi Jaiswal |
| Shubman Gill | Sai Sudharsan | – Shubman Gill |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | Tilak Varma | – Ruturaj Gaikwad |
| Virat Kohli | Rajat Patidar | – Tilak Varma |
| Shreyas Iyer | Rinku Singh | – Suryakumar Yadav (C) |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | Shreyas Iyer | – Rinku Singh |
| Ishan Kishan (wk) | KL Rahul (Captain, wicketkeeper) | – Shreyas Iyer |
| KL Rahul (wk) | Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper) | – Ishan Kishan (wk) |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | Axar Patel | – Jitesh Sharma (wk) |
| Ravindra Jadeja | Washington Sundar | – Ravindra Jadeja (VC) |
| Shardul Thakur | Kuldeep Yadav | – Washington Sundar |
| Mohd. Siraj | Yuzvendra Chahal | – Ravi Bishnoi |
| Mukesh Kumar | Mukesh Kumar | – Kuldeep Yadav |
| Mohd. Shami (subject to availability)* | Avesh Khan | – Arshdeep Singh |
| Jasprit Bumrah (VC) | Arshdeep Singh | – Mohd. Siraj |
| Prasidh Krishna | Deepak Chahar | – Mukesh Kumar |
| – Deepak Chahar |
Here is how fans react to South Africa’s squad:
Bavuma op full of entertainment 🥳☠️❤
— GORDXROHIT (@gordxrohit) December 4, 2023
Temba Bavuma is back and will lead the side pic.twitter.com/ULN4HcHHsT
— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) December 4, 2023
https://twitter.com/berlin2okyo/status/1731576512892240349?s=20
This format suits bavuma's style of play. 😂 Can he hit a 50 in this series? pic.twitter.com/xk9qC2XK3L
— Karthik (@vsk_says) December 4, 2023
very good squad
— Faysal Waseem (@Faisal_Waseem1) December 4, 2023
Strong squad
— مسٹرعبدالقدیر (@MrAQ88190654) December 4, 2023
https://x.com/Motabhai012/status/1731576447658262612?s=20
Nortje ? He is an excellent bowler
— Ha55an 🇵🇰 (@sheikh_dot_com) December 4, 2023
Keegan peterson treat to watch
— ANANT (@Akk_vk18) December 4, 2023
Why bavoma in the squad??
— Dr Bakra (@DrBakra) December 4, 2023
Bavuma is coming again for the memes collection 😂
— Crypto Bullish (@Bullish132) December 4, 2023