Argus News - India, South Africa Players Arrive in Bhubaneswar Ahead of T20 Clash at Barabati

Bhubaneswar, Dec 7: Players of both the Indian and South African teams arrived in Bhubaneswar on Sunday afternoon ahead of the opening match of the five-match T20 International series, scheduled at Cuttack’s Barabati Stadium on December 9. The squads are staying at Mayfair Hotel under a tight security cordon and will travel to Cuttack for net practice on Monday.

Earlier in the day, star pacer Jasprit Bumrah was among the first to walk out of the Biju Patnaik International Airport, drawing loud cheers from waiting fans. South African players arrived in batches throughout the day as security personnel escorted them out of the terminal and into designated team vehicles.

The series marks the return of Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill to India’s T20 setup after injury layoffs. The BCCI has retained most members of the squad that played the recent Australia series, with Suryakumar Yadav leading the side. Nitish Reddy is the only exclusion following Hardik’s comeback.

India squad: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar.

South Africa squad: Aiden Markram (capt), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tristan Stubbs.

Red-soil pitch ready for Barabati’s big night
With just two days to go, preparations at Barabati Stadium are in full swing. For the first time, a red-soil pitch -- prepared to international standards -- will be used for a match at the venue. OCA chief curator Anjan Khuntia said practice strips near the clock tower have also been created with red soil to help players adapt.

Also Read: Three-Tier Security In Place Ahead Of IND-SA Clash At Barabati

Stadium readiness, crowd flow management and security arrangements are being given final touches, with more than 45,000 spectators expected on match day. Ticket sales have concluded, and both teams will train at Barabati on Monday before the high-voltage contest.