South Africa captain Aiden Markram won the toss and the had no hesitation in opting to bowl first against India in the second T20 international at St George's Park in Gqeberha on Tuesday.
Overcast conditions in Gqeberha
The Proteas skipper took the decision to put India in to bat looking at the overhead conditions which is expected to remain overcast throughout the match.
There was drizzling before the toss but it stopped right on time for the captains to come out and flip the coin.
Ruturaj Gaikwad missing with illness
The Proteas are playing with a full-strength squad but India have been depleted by the absence of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been ruled out of this game with illness.
No.1 T20I bowler left out by Team India
But the Indian team management surprised everyone by leaving out Ravi Bishnoi and Shreyas Iyer from their playing XI. Bishnoi was recently crowned the No.1 bowler in T20I cricket after dethroning Rashid Khan from the top spot.
His exploits against Australia in the five-match series at home saw him climb up the ranks on ICC's latest which is why his exclusion has raised a few eyebrows.
Indian team combination
Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the batting instead of Gaikwad, along with Shubman Gill. India have opted to play five specialist batters and bowlers along with wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma.
"Very happy to be here. Most importantly, happy to know there is some cricket around. [Batting first] It's completely fine. We were confused about what to do.
"Very happy to bat first. It's an opportunity for everyone who is playing the game. The World Cup is around 5-6 months away. Have told the boys to enjoy themselves," India captain Suryakumar Yadav said after losing the toss.
SA vs IND: Here's a look at the Playing XIs
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar.
South Africa (Playing XI): Matthew Breetzke, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Gerald Coetzee, Lizaad Williams, Tabraiz Shamsi
