For the second time in 2022, the South African cricket team is in India for a white-ball series. After playing a five-match T20I series in June, the Proteas will once again face the Men in Blue in three T20Is which will be followed by as many ODIs.
The series opener is set to take place at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday (September 28) before the team move to Guwahati and Indore for the final two games. This will be the final international assignment for both sides ahead of next month’s 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia where both sides are in the same group the Super 12 stage alongside Pakistan, Bangladesh, and two teams from the first round.
Ahead of the series opener in Thiruvananthapuram, South African spinner Keshav Maharaj visited the famous Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple on Monday (September 25) in the city. Maharaj wished his fans ‘Happy Navratri’ as the holy festival is celebrated in various parts of the country for the next nine days. Maharaj wore traditional Indian attire on his visit to the temple
Maharaj had previously revealed that he is of Indian descent. The left-arm spinner’s forefathers were from the the city of Sultanpur in the Uttar Pradesh (UP). They had shifted to South Africa in 1874 as part of a massive Indian contingent who arrived in Durban as indentured labourers.
Alongside Tabraiz Shamsi, Maharaj forms one of the most lethal spin bowling duo’s in international cricket. Both Shamsi and Maharaj had troubled India during the series in June.
The series will mark the return of Temba Bavuma from an elbow injury he suffered during the fourth T20I against India in June. Bavuma missed the entire tour of England which saw South Africa win the T20I and ODI series but suffer a 2-1 defeat in the Test series.
