Former South African batter Herschelle Gibbs took a jab at Proteas' out-of-form skipper Aiden Markram, suggesting that he should be "carrying drinks" during the final two T20Is of the four-match home series against India.


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Following a promising start to his T20I career, Aiden Markram has experienced a dip in performance in T20Is this year, failing to smash even a single fifty. In 16 matches, he has made 212 runs at a poor average of 15.14 and a strike rate of 116.48, with the best score of 46. The third T20I of the four-match series between India and South Africa will take place at Centurion on Wednesday.


The series is currently level at 1-1. India had won the first T20I by 61 runs. But the Proteas bounced back to win the next low-scoring match by three wickets despite Varun Chakravarthy's five-wicket haul. Taking to X, Gibbs expressed that the final two matches should be "high-scoring affairs" and it is anybody's series at the moment. "I think India will feel they should be 2 up in the current T20 series v Proteas but the last 2 games should be high-scoring affairs. Anybody's series at this stage," posted Gibbs.


Responding to one of the questions posed by a user asking him what should be the ideal top six in the batting line-up for the next two games, Gibbs bluntly responded, "For starters, Markram can carry drinks."


In the ongoing series against India, Markram has made just 11 runs in two innings, with the best score of eight. This year has not been too special for Markram as an all-format player either, scoring just 583 runs in 24 matches and 28 innings at an average of 23.32, with a century and two fifties and a best score of 106.


These two matches will be an opportunity for Markram to regain his form and try to end the year on high as a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka at home starts on November 27.


Squads:


Indian Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Avesh Khan, Jitesh Sharma, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Ramandeep Singh, Yash Dayal


South Africa Squad: Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Nqabayomzi Peter, Patrick Kruger, Mihlali Mpongwana, Donovan Ferreira, Ottneil Baartman, Lutho Sipamla.