South Africa won the Test series despite being 0-1 down. Can India achieve this feat after losing the first ODI? India should bounce back in the second match of the three-match one-day international series. The batting will again be in focus as the visitors looked good when Kohli and Dhawan were on with their partnership. But they will also need the middle-order batters to step up.
Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer will be the key to India’s chances after Dhawan and Kohli. Opener KL Rahul also holds an edge. He needs to be positive in his approach even he captains the side. India missed the aggressive instinct by Rahul in the last game. The new captain let the match drift away even when South Africa was three down for 53 runs.
The reason for not using Venkatesh Iyer as the sixth bowling option is still not known. If Venkatesh is playing the match as an all-rounder, then he should have bowled in his debut match. Shardul and Chahal were expensive, while Bumrah and Ashwin bowled well in the last game. Bhuvi also couldn’t pick up any wickets. India should pick Deepak Chachar in the place of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Suryakumar Yadav in place of Venkatesh Iyer.
Adding Suryakumar will give India an extra batsman in the middle order. Shardul Thakur went all over the place in the 1st match. But his batting skills make him undroppable for the next game. His fifty allowed India to come closer to the total set by the Proteas.
South Africa does not need to make any significant changes as they have won the first ODI, and they are 1-0 ahead. After winning the Test series, the hosts will eye to clinch the fifty overs series. But they will want their openness to contribute well. Jasprit Bumrah is a good new ball bowler. So Malan and De Kock should be more careful against this fast bowler.
Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma scored their centuries to lift South Africa from a reeling position. In the second ODI, the hosts will ant these two to contribute once more, which will help them to seal the series at Boland Park.
The bowlers, too, did a fantastic job. The part-time spin of Aiden Markram did the trick in breaking the opening stand, and South Africa also broke the 92 runs partnership between Kohli and Dhawan that allowed them to bounce back in the match. After this performance, South Africa will compete to win the second ODI and the series. India needs to do something special to level the series.
Match Details –
Match – South Africa Vs India 2nd ODI
Venue – Boland Park, Paarl.
Day/Date – Friday, 21st January 2022.
Match Timings – 2 PM IST, 8.30 PM GMT, 10.30 PM Local.
Toss Timings – 1.30 PM IST, 8 PM GMT and 10 PM Local.
TV channels – Star Sports India Networks.
Live Streaming – Disney Plus Hotstar, Fan Code, Amazon Mini TV, Vodafone TV, JIO TV, Live Cricket App, Live Ten Sports App.
South Africa Vs India 1st ODI Match – Pitch Report
The pitch at Boland Park will be the same as it was in the first ODI.
It will support the fast bowlers as they can use the bounce from this two-paced surface to good effect. This wicket will remain true throughout the second ODI match.
South Africa Vs India 1st ODI match – India’s probable Playing XI
KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chachar, Jaspit Bumrah, and Yuzvendra Chahal.
South Africa Vs India 1st ODI match – South Africa’s Probable Playing XI
Dean Elgar, Quinton De Kock, Temba Bavuma, Janneman Malan, Zubayr Hamza, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Keshav Maharaj/Tarbaiz Shamsi.
South Africa Vs India 1st ODI match – Fantasy Batsmen
Virat Kohli – The Run machine of Indian cricket batted well, and he became the highest scorer for India in ODI cricket away from home. Virat went past Sachin Tendulkar in achieving this feat. Kohli scored 51 runs and shared a valuable stand with Shikhar Dhawan. But Kolhi hasn’t got his three-figure mark which has been pending since 2019. Now in this much-needed situation, India needs their former captain to convert that fifty into a big hundred just like he did in the 2018 series, where VK scored three tons and helped India to win the ODI series for the first time.
Quinton De Kock – The Proteas wicketkeeper batter is a dangerous batsman in the fifty overs format. After announcing his sudden retirement from the Test arena, QDK has a point to prove in the ODI series. In the first match, he got a decent start. But De Kock should have converted that into a big one. Quinny’s smashing Bumrah is what the crowd of South Africa wants to see as both the players play for the same franchise named Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
South Africa Vs India 1st ODI match – Fantasy Bowlers
Jasprit Bumrah – India’s Boom Boom Bumrah was the pick of the bowler from the last game. He picked up two wickets and broke the 204 runs partnership between Bavuma and Dussen. But Bumrah didn’t get much support from the other Indian bowlers. Apart from Ashwin, the rest of the bowlers went for plenty. Bumrah needs to strike big again as he holds the key for the visitors in the do-or-die match. He can use the new ball and bowl well in the death overs by using his yorkers, slower ones, and cutters.
Lungi Ngidi – The South African pacer will lead the fast bowling department in the absence of Rabada. Ngidi bowled well yesterday, and South Africa will want him to continue doing so in the next two matches. Ngidi should get the new ball in the next game. He is the specialist new ball bowler instead of Markram.
South Africa Vs India 1st ODI match – Fantasy Team
Batters – KL Rahul, Temba Bavuma, Rishabh Pant.
Bowler – Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Jasprit Bumrah.
All-rounders – Ravichandran Ashwin and Wayne Parnell
Wicketkeeper – Quinton De Kock.
Vice-Captain – Shreyas Iyer
Captain – Virat Kohli.