Durban weather forecast today: What are the chances of rain during the India vs South Africa 1st T20I?
After routing Australia 4-1 at home, India will now square off against South Africa in a three-match T20I series. The first game of the series will be played at Kingsmead in Durban on Sunday.
India have stuck to a younger-looking squad after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma opted out of the white-ball series against South Africa. Suryakumar Yadav will continue to lead the side in the absence of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who is out with an injury.
The series will present another set of opportunities for the young players to stake a claim for the 2024 T20 World Cup squad, which is only six months away.
South Africa will also look to find the right combination for the mega ICC event next year. Among all the newcomers, all eyes will be on Matthew Breetzke, who has been hogging the limelight with his breathtaking batting. He was the second-highest run-scorer in the 2021 domestic T20 Cup and the highest run-scorer in the 2022-23 first-class competition.
While the plot is set with both teams aiming to build strong squads for the World Cup, fans will keep a close tab on the weather forecast, which looks gloomy.
According to Accuweather, there is a heavy chance of rainfall in Durban during the first T20I between India and South Africa. It is expected to slow down during the second half of the match, thus, a delayed and interrupted game is likely to follow. It would be cloudy throughout, coupled with heavy wind.
The temperature will hover around 19-20 degrees Celsius, while the humidity is expected to be around 85 percent.
"The key to success on such wickets will be to be yourself" - India skipper Suryakumar Yadav ahead of 1st ODI
The upcoming series will be the first tour to South Africa for several Indian players. Despite that, skipper Suryakumar Yadav is confident that the young Indian team would adapt seamlessly to the hard and bouncy wickets.
"I think the key to success on such wickets will be to be yourself,” Suryakumar told reporters on the eve of the first T20I. "The boys have prepared well. We are coming from a good T20I series win and have played on all fast track."
Suryakumar signed off saying that his team will play a fearless brand of cricket irrespective of the results.