IND vs SA: Why did Shubman Gill & Kuldeep Yadav miss tonight's clash?

South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl first against India in the fifth IND vs SA T20I.

The fifth T20I between the Indian Cricket Team and the South Africa Cricket Team (IND vs SA) got underway on Friday, December 19, at Narendra Modi International Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad. The climax of the five-match series is a crucial game for both sides.

The Men in Blue lead the five-match series 2-1. Although they cannot lose the series at any cost, they need to win the fifth clash to outplay the Proteas in the campaign. On the other hand, Aiden Markram & Co. need to win the match to draw the series.

The home team suffered a major setback right at the start as they lost the toss. South Africa captain Aiden Markram opted to bowl first. At the toss, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav revealed that they made three changes to their playing XI compared to the previous game.

India made three changes in the fifth T20I in Ahmedabad

India have made three changes to the playing XI for the encounter. Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, and Sanju Samson were added to the side. Moreover, Harshit Rana and Washington Sundar were not picked in the clash, while Shubman Gill was ruled out due to niggle.

“We were looking to bat first. The wicket looks good, there won’t be dew and we want to put the runs on the board. It almost feels full. Let’s see what we want from this game, yes the series is on the line, but it is about expressing yourself and enjoying the game. Bumrah comes in for Harshit, Washi comes in for Kuldeep and Gill picked up a niggle in Lucknow, so Sanju comes in,” the Indian captain stated.

India’s playing XI for fifth T20I vs South Africa: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (w), Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.

Proteas captain revealed that they have made only one change to their playing XI, replacing pacer Anrich Nortje with George Linde.

“We are going to bowl first. The wicket looks quite dew, probably some dew later on and ball comes on better. There’s everything to play for, focus is on the World Cup and we have quite a few games here. Quite a few good signs with the ball in hand, looking to finish the tour on a positive note. Linde comes in for Nortje,” Markram said.

South Africa Playing XI for fifth T20I: Quinton de Kock (w), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman.

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