Why is Aiden Markram Not Opening in IND vs SA 2nd T20I?

India are playing the 2nd T20I match against South Africa in the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. The host team defeated the visitors by 101 runs to win the opening Twenty20 International. As Suryakumar Yadav won the toss, he elected to bowl first as he mentioned that dew will be the factor in the second innings.

For the second game, India are unchanged. Meanwhile, South Africa has made three changes for the second game of the five-match series. Reeza Hendricks, Ottneil Baartman, and George Linde replaced Tristan Stubbs, Anrich Nortje, and Keshav Maharaj for this match.

Why is Aiden Markram Not Opening Today in IND vs SA 2nd T20I?

South Africa, who picked Reeza Hendricks, is opening the batting for the team along with Quinton de Kock. This pushed the skipper Aiden Markram down to the No. 3 spot in the batting order. Markram is usually an opener but made way for Hendricks who opened the batting.

Usually, Aiden Markram batting position is at the top of the order, although, he has batted in the middle order as well. Currently, he is one of the best openers in the world and has already established his credentials to bat in the top.

The South African team is experimenting with different players to find the best combination as ICC T20 World Cup 2026 is nearing. Hendricks is an attacking batter and has been in the set-up for some time now. He was also a part of South Africa's team in their last T20 World Cup campaign when they finished runners-up.

Reeza Hendricks Falls to Varun Chakravarthy

In the second T20I match of the ongoing India vs South Africa series, Varun Chakravarthy showed why he is regarded as one of the best T20 bowlers going around and removed Reeza Hendricks, bowling him out on the first ball of his spell. South Africa started off well, scoring freely in the opening overs and handling the Indian pacers comfortably. Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock looked set at the crease as India introduced Chakravarthy in the fourth over.

On the first ball of his over, the mystery spinner bowled a deceptive carrom ball. As he attempted to play a pull shot, he missed it completely and the ball went straight on to the stumps. The ball landed on off stump and disturbed the woodwork with the batter having no idea about it. It was a big wicket for India after the visitors had got off to a flying start.