After a thrilling victory in the previous match in Ranchi, India will now host South Africa for the second ODI at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. The KL Rahul-led side will be hoping to continue with the momentum and seal the series, especially after the humiliating Test series defeat at home, but it won’t be a simple task, given how well the Proteas performed in the previous game.
On top of that, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma is set to make his return in Raipur. He missed the opening game of the series owing to illness, and now is expected to slot in the top order. He will provide some much-needed stability for South Africa at the top of the order, which was the weak link in Ranchi. The bowling department definitely missed the services of Kagiso Rabada, but there’s nothing that the side can do as the pacer is irreplaceable in the white-ball set-up.
India, on the other hand, are not expected to make any changes to the playing XI. Playing Ruturaj Gaikwad at number four was an interesting call, which created significant buzz, but the team management is unlikely to change the combination, even though Rishabh Pant and Tilak Varma, two proven custodians in the middle order, are warming the bench.
Meanwhile, the focus will once again be on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two stalwarts who stole the show in the previous match. Kohli made 135 in the game, while Rohit made 57. It’s important for the duo to carry on with the same intent.
Raipur pitch report
The surface in Raipur will surely help the batters. The surface is pretty flat in nature and for the same reason, another high-scoring encounter is expected. Bowling first will be ideal for both teams, as the dew is expected to play a role in the second innings of the match. Notably, this will be the second ODI match which will be played on the ground. The previous one was a low-scoring affair, whch will certainly not be the case when India host South Africa in Raipur on December 3.
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