In the second T20I match against South Africa, Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA Stadium in Punjab.
After winning the toss, the Indian skipper said, “We`ll bowl first, the dew is a factor, and it`s a good option. This is a wonderful ground, excited for the first men`s T20I here. The boys need to understand their responsibility, they batted well in the first game. Hardik`s balance and calmness were key; he`s carried himself well post-injury. We`re sticking with the same team, looking to build on our momentum”.
Markram said, “We thought bowling first was the way to go, the wicket looked good. We`re happy to put runs on the board and put India under pressure. Sometimes you have off days, and you just move on. We`ve taken lessons from the first match and are focused on getting it right tonight. We`ll adjust our strategy based on how the pitch behaves”.
The “Men in Blue” under Suryakumar`s captaincy will be riding high on confidence as they managed to win the previous match by a huge margin of 101 runs.
On the other hand, the Proteas, under the leadership of Aiden Markram, will be looking to secure a win to boost their confidence in the five-match contest.
The fans have also expressed excitement for the Punjab clash.
#WATCH | Punjab | A fan of the Indian Cricket team says, “I am very excited for the match…India will surely win the match” https://t.co/gfm8ELQ9MO pic.twitter.com/F21tu7h2SR
— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2025
#WATCH | Punjab | A fan of the Indian Cricket team says, “…I want to see Hardik Pandya`s batting and him scoring runs, the way he did in the previous match…Shubman Gill will surely score a half-century today. India will surely win the match…” https://t.co/gfm8ELQ9MO pic.twitter.com/iywIF1PiKH
— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2025
#WATCH | Punjab | A fan of the Indian Cricket team says, “…I have come from Amritsar specially to watch the match…We will give a befitting reply to the coach of South Africa…Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Sharma are my favourite players…We will surely win the match” https://t.co/gfm8ELQ9MO pic.twitter.com/imJ0BB8oV7
— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2025
Ahead of the clash, India`s premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya is just shy of one wicket of completing his tally of 100 scalps in the format`s history. In the previous opener, the right-hander had delivered a match-winning performance with both, bat and ball. The hosts` dugout will expect him to replicate his performance in Punjab.
During the match, the rivalry between the hosts` star pacer Arshdeep Singh and South Africa`s veteran opening batsman, Quinton de Kock, will be worth watching. The left-handed batsman will be eager to put on a big show after a mixed bag of results on his India tour so far.
Currently, Team India is leading the five-match T20I series by 1-0 against South Africa.
IND vs SA 2nd T20I: Confirmed Playing XI
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (WK), Aiden Markram (C), Reeza Hendricks, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, George Linde, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Lutho Sipamla, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman.
