All eyes will be on Rishabh Pant’s team India when they take on South Africa in the first T20I in Delhi on Thursday. The series opener in Delhi will act as a platform for the Men in Blue to chase an all-time 13-0 T20I winning record and become an all-time great team in this format.
The team had to deal with a major blow right ahead of the match day. KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav, two of the crucial cogs in the squad, were ruled out of the entire series on Wednesday owing to injuries. In the meantime, the BCCI named Pant as captain while all-rounder Hardik Pandya took over as the vice-captain.
India vs South Africa 2022: Schedule | News | Photos
Pant was indeed thrilled to get the opportunity but not the way he got it. Since he is going to lead the Indian team for the first time, and that too, at his home ground; the opportunity is massive and the cricketer himself is looking forward to it.
A few hours ahead of the game, the BCCI shared a video in which Pant and Co could be seen training ahead of the much-awaited clash against the Proteas. The skipper and his deputy could be seen hammering colossal sixes in the nets. While Pant launched some biggies out of the part, Pandya was seen playing the no-look shot.
“It’s a great feeling, especially getting an opportunity like thin in your home town. Nothing bigger than that. I’ll try to make the most of it and give my 100 per cent,” Pant could be heard saying in the video.
Prep ✅
Here we go 💪#TeamIndia | #INDvSA | @Paytm pic.twitter.com/HULFaMouEv
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 9, 2022
Openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan were also seen sweating it out in the nets. In the absence of Rahul, India are left with only two openers at the moment and for Ruturaj, it’s a great opportunity to showcase his heroics with the bat in hand.
The players also attended a photo shoot ahead of the big game. The board shared a video in which the players could be seen posing in front of the camera, sporting the blue Indian jersey.
“Lights, camera & action! Some Behind The Scenes fun from #TeamIndia’s headshots shoot,” the caption of the video read.
Lights, camera & action! 📸 📸
Some Behind The Scenes fun from #TeamIndia‘s headshots shoot! 😎 👌#INDvSA | @Paytm pic.twitter.com/Vq9H9G19Qa
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 9, 2022
India and South Africa have squared off against each other in 15 T20I matches so far. While the Men in Blue have won 9, Proteas returned victorious on 6 occasions.
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