Why is Tristan Stubbs Not Playing IND vs SA 2nd T20I?

Following a convincing victory over South Africa in the first Twenty20 International in Cuttack, the caravan travels to Mullanpur, where the two teams, India and South Africa will square off in the series' second T20I match. The Men in Blue will be keen to repeat the devastating loss they inflicted in the first Twenty20 International at Mullanpur.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav chose to bowl first after winning the toss as dew is expected to arrive later in the day. Wicketkeeper Sanju Samson is once again on the bench as Team India enters the match without any changes.

Why is Tristan Stubbs Not Playing Today in IND vs SA 2nd T20I?

South Africa made a few changes for this game. SA batter Tristan Stubbs has been left out from South Africa's starting lineup. During the toss, SA skipper Aiden Markram revealed that Stubbs was left out as part of the rotation policy adopted by the team management.

Stubbs scored 22 runs in the last match before Jasprit Bumrah took his wicket. He is one of the most dangerous batsmen in the world right now and South Africa are likely to feel his absence.

Reeza Hendricks came in as Tristan Stubbs replacement for this match and is opening the batting alongside Quinton de Kock. South Africa have also picked George Linde as batting allrounder option instead of the left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.

Coach Shukri Conrad showed trust in Stubbs by giving him the No. 3 spot against India's formidable bowling attack in the New Year's Test at Newlands in January 2024. Stubbs has been seen as a player the Proteas can grow around across formats. He has scored 813 runs at an average of 28.03 with a strike rate of almost 133 in 41 Twenty20 International matches for South Africa.

With a highest score of 76 in the format, he has recorded two fifties as well. Before heading back to India for the five-match T20I series, Tristan Stubbs brought that momentum home and helped the EP Warriors in winning the CSA T20 Challenge. In Tuesday's first Twenty20 International, he scored 14 off nine balls in a quick but exciting start to the season.

Tristan Stubbs on Playing in India

Tristan Stubbs will be key for the Proteas as they attempt to recover from Tuesday's humiliating 101-run loss to one of the best T20 teams in the world at Cuttack. The youngster recently spoke on playing in India and is looking forward in this series.

“It’s exciting. T20 cricket in India is always really fun, and I’m looking forward to an exciting series ahead. The energy in the camp has been really good,” he said. “Playing T20s here, I obviously play a lot of cricket in these conditions; they’re always really good for batting.”
Tristan Stubbs has the experience of playing in India through the IPL. The right hander has played for Delhi Capitals in the league and already has a few good knocks to his name. While he isn't playing the second T20I, he is likely to be back at some point during this series.