Markram confident new-look Proteas squad will be ready to fire against India

Though he admits it is going to be a little tricky to get the new-look squad to gel, captain Aiden Markram believes the Proteas can hit the ground running when they open their three-match T20 International series against India in Durban on Sunday.

With a couple of uncapped players already included in the national squad, due to the absence of some senior players, the hosts took a knock this week when experienced fast bowler Lungi Ngidi was ruled out with an ankle injury.

He was replaced in the T20 squad by fellow paceman Beuran Hendricks, who hasn’t played for the Proteas since July 2021.

Familiar enough

While they might not have played together as a unit, however, Markram felt the players were familiar enough with each other to ensure they were able to work together against the formidable tourists.

“We’ve played a lot of cricket against the guys who are new faces in the squad,” said the skipper.

“I suppose you’d like to know them on a deeper level before going into a series with them, but we’ve had a few good days together (in camp) trying to get to know them, understanding what makes them tick and those sorts of things.

“I suppose the nature of cricket these days is that series come thick and fast, and there will be stages when new guys are in, like this series. They’re going to have to find their feet quickly and we’re going to do our best to help them settle down and be as relaxed as they can be in the environment.”

The first match of the T20I series between South Africa and India, which kicks off their month-long tour of SA, will start at 4pm at Kingsmead on Sunday.