NEW DELHI: South Africa’s T20I captain Aiden Markram clarified on Thursday that the upcoming series against India is not being viewed as a rematch of the T20 World Cup final, despite the anticipation.
In a pre-match conference, Markram emphasized that while it’s the same competing nations, both teams have seen significant personnel changes.
“It’s the same countries I guess, but personnel has changed for both teams. It’s always an exciting series when you play against India and especially when you play them at home. It’s a series we have always looked forward to,” the South African skipper said.
The four-match series begins at Kingsmead, Durban, on Friday, marking South Africa’s first T20 face-off with India since their close World Cup final loss almost four months back.
However, both squads have shifted dramatically from those that competed in Barbados.
“We have not addressed anything about it being a rematch or things like that. Obviously, a lot of talk and promotions have happened through that lens, which is completely understandable,” Markram added
South Africa enters the series without key players from their World Cup lineup, such as Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Quinton de Kock, while India have included this time only four members of the World Cup-winning team, as the majority of the star players are busy preparing for an upcoming Test series in Australia.
That said, the T20I series vs South Africa offers a platform for India’s emerging players, such as Ramandeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Yash Dayal, who hope to impress selectors ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in Jeddah later this month.