Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday, December 11, launched stands after Yuvraj Singh and Harmanpreet Kaur at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. A small arrangement was organised ahead of the second T20I between India and South Africa, when the CM inaugurated the stands with the players and their families by the side.
Soon after the inauguration, Yuvraj was spotted spending time with the Indian players and delivering a pep talk during the pre-match huddle. Notably, Yuvraj has won both the ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup for India, having represented the team in 40 Tests, 304 ODIs and 58 T20Is. He has scored 11778 runs in international cricket and also clinched 148 wickets. The former all-rounder was also adjudged the Player of the Tournament in the ODI World Cup 2011.
Harmanpreet, on the other hand, recently won the ODI World Cup, beating South Africa in the final. She made her international debut in 2009, playing six Tests, 161 ODIs and 182 T20Is so far in her career. The veteran India batter has been an integral part of the side since her debut and has been extremely influential in helping women’s cricket grow in the country.
South Africa eye equaliser
After a thrashing defeat in the first T20I of the series, the South African batters scripted a sensational comeback in the second. Courtesy of Quinton de Kock’s incredible knock of 90 runs off 46 balls, the Aiden Markram-led side posted 213 runs on the board in the first innings. The Indian bowlers, barring Varun Chakravarthy, struggled to maintain the line and length because of the dew and South Africa took advantage of that.
India were expected to bat better as time went on, but they failed to make the most of the wet ball. The opening pair of Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma flopped again and so did captain Suryakumar Yadav. With that, South Africa are now eyeing to level the score 1-1 in the five-match series.
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