[WATCH] India, South Africa players display endearing camaraderie as teams arrive in Bhubaneswar ahead of 2nd T20I
The Indian and South African players were seen interacting with each other as the two teams arrived in Bhubaneswar on Friday (June 10) ahead of the second T20I.
The second game of the five-match series will be played at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday (June 12). The Proteas took a 1-0 lead in the series by chasing down a record target of 212 in Delhi on Thursday.
The official Twitter handle of the BCCI has shared a video of the Indian and South African players arriving in Odisha. In the clip, David Miller is seen having a chat with his Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Hardik Pandya while Quinton de Kock and Rishabh Pant can also be seen engaged in a conversation.
The BCCI shared the video on their social media handle with the caption:
“Hello Cuttack 👋.”
Hello Cuttack 👋
#TeamIndia | #INDvSA | @Paytm https://t.co/928W93aWXs
Team India are being led by Pant in the series, with KL Rahul being ruled out a day ahead of the opening match with a right groin injury. The hosts were sent in to bat after losing the toss in Delhi.
Opener Ishan Kishan top-scored with 76 off 48 as the Men in Blue posted a healthy total of 211 for 4. However, an undefeated partnership of 131 between Miller (64* off 31) and Rassie van der Dussen (75* off 46) saw the visitors chase down their highest-ever T20I total.
“IPL is over now” - Hardik Pandya’s cheeky birthday wish for South African batter David Miller
Indian all-rounder Pandya sent a special message to Miller on his 33rd birthday on Friday, just a day after the latter's heroics in the first T20I. Sharing a picture with the South African batter on his Instagram story, Pandya wrote:
"Happy birthday my Millie. IPL is over now."
Pandya and Miller recently played together for the new IPL franchise Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2022. Under the former’s captaincy, GT lifted the T20 title in their maiden appearance in the competition. Both Miller and Pandya played stellar roles in the campaign, smashing 481 and 487 runs, respectively.
The GT skipper also claimed three wickets with his medium pace and returned with figures of 3 for 17 in the IPL 2022 final against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). Pandya was named Player of the Match for his all-round performance as he also chipped in with 34 runs with the bat.