JOHANNESBURG: South Africa skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and opted to bat against India in the first ODI at the New Wanderers Stadium here on Sunday.
The 22-year-old batter Sai Sudharsan received his maiden cap from skipper KL Rahul ahead of the clash. South Africa meanwhile, are wearing pink jersey to spread awareness about breast cancer.
Both teams will look to clinch the three-match ODI series, unlike the T20I series which ended up in a draw because of rain washing out the first game.
South Africa captain Aiden Markram said at the time of the toss, “We are gonna bat first. Used wicket, we’d like to bat first, we are playing two spinners. It’s a fantastic day, hats off to the people. Hopefully, both teams can put on a nice show for them. Burger makes his debut – special day for him. Opportunities are vital, none better than today.”
While KL Rahul said, “No (haven’t played since the WC final). Special day, watched a lot of cricket on TV – the Pink ODI is a big occasion here in South Africa. Looking forward to a cracker of a game. There was a of spin and it was try, we’ll try to put pressure on them. Sai Sudharsan is on debut today. There are a few names that have played a lot of IPL cricket. Ruturaj did well, Tilak seems exciting, Sanju is always exciting. We’ve got Axar, Kuldeep who’d love to see some spin.”
South Africa (Playing XI): Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Tabraiz Shamsi.
India (Playing XI): KL Rahul(w/c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar. (ANI)