Revealed: Why Is Ruturaj Gaikwad Not Playing Tonight's 2nd T20I Against South Africa

Ruturaj Gaikwad will be missing the second T20I against South Africa. The game between the two teams will take place at St George’s Park, Gqeberha. It will be an important game for both teams as the first game was washed out due to rain. 

South Africa won the toss and opted to field first. As the lineups of both the teams were out, what caught the attention of many was Ruturaj Gaikwad’s name not being there in the Indian XI, especially after his heroics in the recently concluded T20I series against Australia. 

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s name not being there in the XI raised quite a few eyebrows. However, the reason behind him not playing the second T20I against South Africa has been revealed. As per BCCI, it is learned that the batter is not keeping up well and is sick. 

Ruturaj Gaikwad was unavailable for selection due to illness and in his place, Shubman Gill has been drafted into the XI. The right-hander wasn’t part of the Australia series and it will be a great opportunity for him to make his case strong for the T20 World Cup 2024. 

? Here's #TeamIndia's Playing XI ?

Follow the Match ? https://t.co/4DtSrebAgI

????: Ruturaj Gaikwad was unavailable for selection for the 2nd #SAvIND T20I due to illness. pic.twitter.com/K52YOOgbwn

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 12, 2023

India captain Suryakumar Yadav at the toss said: “Very happy to be here and happy to know there’s some cricket around. We were confused what to do, but now we are very happy to bat first. It’s an opportunity for everyone playing this game. World Cup is still 5-6 months away. Just enjoy yourself is the message to the team.” 

IND vs SA: India and South Africa Playing 11 for the second T20I in Ruturaj Gaikwad’s absence

India went with the combination of three pacers and two spinners. They also have played Tilak Varma ahead of Shreyas Iyer in the XI. 

Here’s the Indian XI for the game: 

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar 

South Africa on the other hand, have played just one spinner in Tabraiz Shamsi. Here’s the XI for the second T20I against India: 

Matthew Breetzke, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Gerald Coetzee, Lizaad Williams, Tabraiz Shamsi