India vs South Africa | Aiden Markram to lead SA in Faf du Plessis’ absence

The threat of the World No. 1 side was already slashed into half even before the ODI series began as AB de Villiers was ruled out for the first three games of six-match series due to a finger injury. While the Proteas was visibly coping to deal with his absence in the first ODI, they face yet another crisis in the absence of Faf du Plessis now - the only performer from the Durban ODI.  Cricket South Africa has decided to appoint a nascent Aiden Markram as a deputy for the remainder of the series.  

"We're aware Markram is new to the setup but he's always been part of our plans since his U-19 (captaincy). We want to have a pool of leaders," Cricket South Africa announced.

As SA look to bring parity to the series after going down by six wickets in the first ODI, Markram’s inexperience isn’t expected to help much in the cause. The 23-year-old has only played two ODIs for South Africa so far and faces a tough task ahead of them as South Africa’s top ODI ranking hangs in balance.

However, the Centurion-born does have prior captaincy experience when he led SA’s Under 19 World Cup side to victory in 2014. Apart from that, he has also led local side Titans this season.

"As a little boy, you dream of captaining your country one day. (It's a) super humbling experience. What happened to Faf in Durban was a freak incident. I officially heard (about me becoming captain) first thing this morning. It's something you can't take for granted. I enjoy captaining and it's gonna be an additional pressure to deal with. Hopefully, it's a good pressure.

"I'll keep sending messages to Faf on and off the field asking for advice. I'll definitely consult senior players for the best interest of the side," Markram said.