But the focus will be on 19-year-old Gill, who has broken into the Indian Test squad for the three-match series against the Proteas, starting on October 2 in Visakhapatnam.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's astute captaincy will be Chennai Super Kings' biggest weapon against a clinical Kolkata Knight Riders, whose troika of top-notch spinners promise to hold the aces in the high-octane Indian Premier League final in Dubai on Friday.
The in-form Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore takes on Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings in a top-of-the-table IPL showdown in Mumbai on Sunday with two points and momentum at stake.
'My lines to the players was that we have got good runs on the board but let's be humble'
Led by Quinton de Kock, South Africa's 44 cricketers, who are part of a men's high performance squad, have returned to training amid the COVID-19 pandemic after getting approval from the country's sports ministry. South Africa has reported more than 1,38,000 COVID-19 cases with over 2,400 deaths.
The two sides experienced contrasting fortunes in their respective tournament opener.
Cricket fans, critics and some former players have pointed out that de Kock "deliberately misled" Zaman into believing the ball was at the non-strikers end and then ran him out.
Dhoni has turned back the clock with his last three innings, two of them half centuries, adding to the fine run of imposing all-rounder Shane Watson.
Capitals were the best team in the league and their 20-point finish at the group stage was an indication of their consistent performances which didn't dip due to the COVID-19 forced break. CSK, over the years, have been in final eight times and won on three occasions which speak volumes of the team's ability to lift their game just when it's required most.
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) general manager Col HS Manhas said all precautions are being taken by the medical teams amid the coronavirus scare.
South Africa have recalled top-order batsmen Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen for their three-match One-Day International tour of India later this month, while left-arm spinner George Linde is named in the squad for the first time. The squad will be captained by Quinton de Kock and play the first ODI in Dharamsala in March 12.
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings head into the match after identical seven-wicket wins over Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively.
South Africa will be without experienced pace bowler Dale Steyn for Thursday's Cricket World Cup opener against England at The Oval after failing to shake off a recurring shoulder problem.
Chahar sustained the injury during the match against Mumbai Indians on Saturday.
The Rajasthan Royals wicketkeeper-batsmen showed his class with an outstanding exhibition of strokeplay leaving the hapless Chennai Super Kings bowlers stunned, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Lakshan Sandakan took four wickets on his debut in a three-wicket victory over new-look South Africa that levelled the three-match Twenty20 series on Sunday.
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings in New Delhi on Friday
South Africa continued their recent dominance of Australia in this format having won 11 of their last 12 ODI meetings dating back to 2016.
He expressed hope that it will also benefit a large number of Hindi-speaking umpires and those giving training in this field, to whom the rules in English are hard to understand.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between South Africa and Australia in Port Elizabeth on Monday.
Heinrich Klaasen smashed an unbeaten century as South Africa claimed a 74-run victory over Australia in their first one-dayer played on a slow Boland Park wicket on Saturday. After winning the toss, South Africa overcame an early wobble to post 291 for seven in their 50 overs, a total boosted by the maiden ODI ton from middle-order batsman Klaasen, who crashed 123 from 114 balls. Australia were up with the run-rate for much of their reply, but South Africa then strangled the scoring with intelligent use of the slow pitch as the visitors slumped to 217 all out from 45.1 overs.
A Rajasthan Royals official had told ANI that Buttler wasn't part of the bubble that was created for the players travelling from the UK to UAE and that is the reason he had to do a full six-day quarantine.
Virat Kohli's men ticked almost all the boxes during their 203-run win in the opening encounter in Visakhapatnam and they would like to maintain the same intensity in their bid to seal the series in Pune itself.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis scored an unbeaten century to lead his side to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first One-day International at The Wanderers on Sunday.
Virat Kohli was named in the Asia XI squad to take on a Faf du Plessis-led World XI in next month's Bangabandhu 100-year celebration three-match T20 International series in Dhaka.
KXIP's chances of a top four finish took a serious hit after Rajasthan Royals handed them a seven-wicket loss,
Also included is fast bowler Anrich Nortje, but in-form opening batsman Temba Bavuma will have to prove his fitness after injuring his hamstring against England on Sunday.
Images from Sunday's World Cup match between Pakistan and South Africa, at Lord's.
'I think the franchise has grown and MS has grown with it, so it is a great relationship and great fun.'
Captain Kane Williamson struck a composed unbeaten century as New Zealand edged past South Africa by four wickets in a thrilling last-over finish.
Whether it was promoting Sam Curran to the opener's slot or finishing pacer Deepak Chahar's quota upfront while using seven bowlers to dry up runs, every move produced desired result.
Delhi's strong batting line up of Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith and Pant himself will look to fire on all cylinders right from the opening game.
The middle-order continues to remain a concern for CSK with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni himself not being at his best.
KKR have plenty of resources in bowling but Karthik, it seems, has not been able to manage them well
CSK and Sunrisers Hyderabad (since inception) have traditionally been two of the most balanced sides in most IPL editions but both have ensured scratchy starts this year
The countries will pin their hopes of victory on their quicks with seamer friendly wickets on order for the Tests in Durban, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg, and the contests set to be dominated by fiery exchanges of fast bowling.
Rohit Sharma continued his sensational run as the Test opener with his third hundred of the series, allowing India to regain control of the proceedings after a top-order collapse on Day 1 of the third and final Test against South Africa.
On a roll after back-to-back wins, the vintage Chennai Super Kings would look to extend their winning run when they clash with struggling Kolkata Knight Riders in their next IPL match in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Makhaya Ntini said he used to avoid travelling in the team bus and preferred running to the stadium to deal with the isolation.
"All lives don't matter until black lives matter," former South Africa captain and star batsman Faf du Plessis said on Friday, lending support to the fight against racism that has gripped the world with renewed vigour after African-American George Floyd's death. Offering his views on the 'Black Lives Matter' movement, which found support in the ongoing England-West Indies Test series where players from both sides took a knee in the opening match, du Plessis said time has come to fight racism head on.
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