[WATCH]- Early Blow For India As Ngidi Sends Shubman Gill Back For 4 In 1st T20I

South African fast bowler Lungi Ngidi made an immediate impact by removing India’s vice-captain Shubman Gill in the first over of the T20I series opener at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Tuesday, December 9. The wicket came right after Gill had struck him for a boundary, giving Ngidi instant payback. The breakthrough occurred on the third delivery of India’s innings.

Ngidi delivered a length ball targeting middle and leg, and Gill advanced down the pitch attempting to loft it over mid-off. However, he failed to make proper contact, sending the ball high in the air. Marco Jansen, positioned at mid-off, moved a few steps to his right and safely completed the catch. You can watch the video here:

https://www.bcci.tv/bccilink/videos/H85l20ut

Shubman Gill returned to the playing XI after recovering from a stiff neck injury that had sidelined him from the second Test and the ODI series against South Africa. In the preceding T20I series in Australia, the 26-year-old scored 132 runs across five innings, maintaining a strike rate of 136.08.

Ngidi Strikes Twice As India Lose Gill, Yadav Early In T20I Opener

Lungi Ngidi struck twice early as South Africa’s captain, having won the toss, opted to bowl in the T20I series opener against India. Along with dismissing Shubman Gill, Ngidi also removed captain Suryakumar Yadav for 12 off 11 balls, caught by Markram at mid-on. At the time of reporting, India were 17/2 after 2.4 overs, with Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma at the crease.

The hosts made several changes to their playing XI, leaving out Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, and Harshit Rana. All-rounder Hardik Pandya returned to the side following injury, joining Gill in making a comeback.

India will aim to build on their momentum after a 2-1 series win in Australia and remain unbeaten in bilateral T20I series since defeating South Africa in the 2024 T20 World Cup final. Meanwhile, South Africa will seek redemption after losing the recent ODI series 1-2 and have not won a T20I series against India since their 2-0 triumph in 2015/16.

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