Picture Credit: Twitter
India and South Africa are taking on each other in the first of the three T20Is they are scheduled to play on Wednesday. Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bowl first. As he was announcing the changes to the playing XI, Sharma revealed that Jasprit Bumrah is missing out on the first game. However, he did not clarify the reason behind the star pacer’s exclusion.
Shortly after the revelation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted an update regarding Bumrah’s fitness. BCCI said that the pacer complained of back pain during the practice session on Tuesday and hence has been rested for the first T20I.
“Jasprit Bumrah complained of back pain during India's practice session on Tuesday. The BCCI Medical Team assessed him. He is ruled out of the first #INDvSA T20I,” tweeted BCCI.
While it was expected that Bumrah's absence will hurt India, nothing of that sort happened. Instead, India put on a record-making show with the ball as they restricted South Africa to a paltry 106/8 in their 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh and Deepak Chahar started the show as they dismissed five South African batters within the first three overs.
The other bowlers capitalized and did not allow South Africa to make a comeback. However, Keshav Maharaj fought a lone battle for South Africa as the all-rounder scored 41 runs off 35 balls. On the back of his fighting innings and a handy 25 from Aiden Markram, South Africa were able to avoid a total collapse and save themselves from humiliation.