T20 World Cup: Axar misses out, Hooda in as India opt to bat against South Africa

India have picked batting all-rounder Deepak Hooda instead of Axar Patel in their Super 12 fixture against South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2022.

After failing to make a breakthrough against Pakistan at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Axar finished with figures of 2 for 18 in Sydney against Netherlands.

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss on Sunday at Perth Stadium and opted to bat against the Proteas. Meanwhile, Tabraiz Shamsi was dropped and fast bowler Lungi Ngidi was included, handing him his first game of the ongoing tournament.

India spent a week in Perth ahead of the T20 World Cup and which is why the team is confident of what to expect from the pitch, according to Indian skipper Rohit.

"We will bat. It's a good surface, we know what to expect and what to do on this pitch. We had a camp across at the WACA, which helped us get used to the bounce for both batters and the bowlers. But this is an important game from where the tournament is, we just have to follow the routine and trust the process, just stay calm and execute the plans. One change - Axar misses out, Hooda is in," said Rohit at the toss.

Meanwhile, South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma said he expects to see his fast bowlers exploit the Perth pitch that usually favours pace. The Proteas have a win and a no result from their two games so far.

"Big game for us, have had a good start to the tournament, it's a big opportunity to test our skills against a strong Indian team. We would have probably batted as well, could be slightly tough to bat under lights, but we now need to bowl well and restrict them to a low score. The conditions are similar to what we have at home and it's a surface that our pacers can exploit. One change - Shamsi misses out, Ngidi comes in," said Bavuma ahead of their Super 12 game on Sunday.

India batsman Suryakumar Yadav, who played a match-winning knock of an unbeaten 51 off 25 balls in their previous match against Netherlands, said that he has been backing himself to do well since the beginning of the T20 World Cup 2022 Down Under.

"I have been backing myself since the start of the tournament. We had a 10-day camp in Perth as well. I knew that the wickets here will be bouncy and quick, so I have my plans. Really looking forward to the game today.

(On the practice camp) You get to know what the conditions are, you get to bat on this kind of wickets and then field as well under lights. There shouldn't be any complacency, you have to start from zero. Fresh game, big game for both the teams, really gonna love it. The quick wickets and bounce - that has been helping me really well. Yes the grounds are big but at the same time the challenge is completely different, you got to have your own plans. I just want to go out and enjoy," said Surya.

India vs South Africa: Playing XIs

South Africa XI: Quinton de Kock(wk), Temba Bavuma(c), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje

India XI: Rohit Sharma(c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik(wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh