Venue: Boland Park, Paarl
Time: 2:00 PM IST
Average score at venue (1st inns): 294
Win percentage while batting first: 100%
Pitch conditions:
- The pitch in Paarl is expected to be similar to the one dished out for the first ODI between India and South Africa. The surface will have plenty of assistance for batsmen while spinners will be playing a key role at the venue.
- Post the conclusion of the first ODI, the wicket-share percentage for the fast bowlers has fallen down to 69.23% while spinners have finished a rise in their share to 30.77% at Paarl’s Boland Park.
Weather prediction:
It will be a sunny and hot day in Paarl with temperature reaching a high of 39°C late in the afternoon, and dropping down to around 26°C by the time the game gets over. The humidity will be very less at the start of the game which will steadily rise to close to around 50% late in the evening.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD (overall):
Matches played: 85
India won: 35
South Africa won: 47
No result: 3
In South Africa:
Matches played: 35
India won: 10
South Africa won: 23
No result: 2
Top 3 players from India: KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli
Top 3 players from South Africa: Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Tabraiz Shamsi
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each):
Top 5 players from India: KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant
Top 5 players from South Africa: Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Tabraiz Shamsi, Keshav Maharaj, Quinton de Kock
Q&A:
Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
Keeping in mind the first ODI between India and South Africa at Paul and out, it will be wise to add more to the batting strength while also carrying more than a couple of spin bowling options or at least two spinners. However, it will all depend on how the batsmen go about their job since India's ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was hit for more than 50 runs in his spell of 10 overs for only 1 wicket, whereas South Africa were regularly able to keep taking wickets irrespective whether a fast bowler was in operation or a spinner.
From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
Neither India nor South Africa can claim to be a team which has a settled side replete with plenty of options in all departments. South Africa's top order looks a little weaker compared to India's but it is the opposite one middle order comes into play. India's young middle-order will be under pressure after their ordinary display in the first ODI whereas the visitors also have to watch out for the damage that the likes of Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen can cause. Like it is for every match, selecting the playing XI for fantasy cricket is a tricky business especially when the team as strong as India is visibly struggling while a transitional team like South Africa are playing better cricket. But here, picking more from the South African camp could be the right way.
MORE INFORMATION: It will be needless to say that India will need to win the second ODI on Friday and keep the series alive, having lost the first game by a big margin of 31 runs. South Africa seem to have hit the top form both with the bat and the ball and they are performing like a well-oiled unit, something that is desired from the Indian team but is rarely delivered. India are also expected to go back to the drawing board and see how they can bounce back from three defeats on the trot across two formats.
Players’ form: While the trio of Janneman Malan, Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram could not trouble the scorers much in the first ODI, South Africa were bolstered with a superb 204-run stand for the fourth wicket between their captain Bavuma and van der Dussen. South Africa have shown that they have it in them to deny India yet another series win despite them entering the series with more areas of concerns to address than the visitors. For India, it is important for their middle-order to bounce back and prove their worth, since they continue to stick with the top-heavy strategy in 50-overs cricket as well. It would also be an option for India to explore if they want to bring in the experienced Suryakumar Yadav to beef up their batting and not play an all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, but then they would be going back from the decision to test the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder.
Changes in squad (if any): NO
Likely XIs:
INDIA: KL Rahul (c), Shikhar Dhawan/Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav/Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah.
SOUTH AFRICA: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Janneman Malan, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Marco Jansen, Tabraiz Shamsi, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.
FANTASY XI: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Virat Kohli, Rassie van der Dussen, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Andile Phehlukwayo, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Marco Jansen
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Desperate India look to end losing streak
India will be desperate to end their losing streak against South Africa which has stretched to three matches across two formats, when they take on the hosts in the second ODI at the Boland Park in Paarl on Friday. India are coming off a defeat in the first ODI which they lost by 31 runs with South Africa producing an all-round show to record a comfortable victory.
India had two of their top-order batsmen hitting half-centuries but that was not enough but yet they failed to chase a target of 297 set by South Africa, who were propeled by splendid centuries from their captain Temba Bavuma and middle-order batsman Rassie van der Dussen. While Bavuma hit his first century in six years — his maiden century had come against Ireland in 2016 — van der Dussen recorded his first century in ODI cricket to set up the game for South Africa.
The fourth-wicket stand between Bavuma and wondered Hussain was the second highest in history by any pair against India in ODI cricket, which was two runs shy of the 206-run stand between former Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik, who recorded their feat all the way back in 2009 at Centurion.
India were not bowled out but their performance with the bat was simply insipid. A 92-run stand between former captain Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan did provide them a strong platform to build on, but middle-order failed against pressure and the likes of Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer will have to do more in order for India to have a favourable result.
The visiting side will also hope more from their captain KL Rahul, who has had ordinary figures since his first-innings century in the opening Test of the series, which India lost. Rahul, since then, has played six innings while scoring only one half-century.
The pitch at Boland Park will remain conducive for batting while spinners will have a key role to play, even though history and venue suggest that fast bowlers will get more success.
South Africa are not likely to make any changes to their playing XI having recorded an impressive victory against India on Wednesday. However, the visiting side will be in two minds as there is an option of beefing up their batting line-up by including the experienced Suryakumar Yadav and expense of all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, who was not used as a bowler at all in the first ODI.
