Confident India ready to take on South Africa in the 2nd ODI
After an emphatic eight-wicket win in the first ODI on Sunday, India is ready to take on South Africa in the second ODI of the three-match series on Tuesday at the St. George’s Park in Gqeberha. Can India secure a win again and clinch the series? If India is able to do so, they will record their fifth straight win in ODIs against the Proteas.
Squads
India: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (c, wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Mihlali Mpongwana, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams.
Head to Head
India and South Africa have played 92 ODIs, of which India have won 39, South Africa have won 50, and three matches have not produced results. In South Africa, they have played 38 ODIs, of which India have won 11, South Africa have won 25, and two matches did not produce results. Though historically South Africa have dominated India, in the recent times, India have had an upper hand, winning four of the last five ODIs that they have played against each other.
| India | South Africa | |
| ICC ODI Rankings | 1 | 3 |
| Head to Head | 39 | 50 |
| In South Africa | 11 | 25 |
| Last 5 ODIs | 4 | 1 |
Players to watch out for
Arshdeep Singh: India’s left arm pace sensation was at his very best in the first ODI against South Africa. He claimed 5/37 in 10 overs and won the player of the match award for his brilliant bowling performance. Playing just his fourth ODI, he snapped his maiden five wicket haul. Also before this match, he had no ODI wickets to his name.
Shreyas Iyer: The right-handed top order batter of India continued his good form from the World Cup to the ODIs. In the first ODI against South Africa, he struck 52 off 45, registering his 18th half-century in this format. He looked at ease as he smashed half a dozen fours and a six.
Tony de Zorzi: The young South African batter fought hard in the first ODI against India when wickets were tumbling all around him. The 20-year-old left handed batter scored 28 off 22, including two fours and as many sixes. He is a promising talent and will be expected to provide a good start to his team with the bat.
Andile Phelukwayo: The all-rounder from South Africa made useful contributions with bat and ball in the first ODI against India. The southpaw top scored for his team with 33 off 49 batting at number eight and then picked up one wicket in the solitary over that he bowled in the second innings.
Pitch and conditions
The venue has hosted 42 men’s ODIs, of which teams batting second have won 21. The average first innings score is 233 and the average second innings score is 200. The highest total recorded here is 335 and the lowest is 112. South Africa have won 21 of the 35 matches played here, whereas India have won just the one of their six ODIs. Since the venue has not particularly been a high scoring one, bowlers have enjoyed bowling here. The cloudy conditions on the match day will also assist them, especially the fast bowlers.
Weather
Expect a couple of showers in the morning. The maximum temperature during the day will be 24 degrees Celsius. There will be 51% cloud cover and 60% chance of rain. The wind will blow from the east-southeast.
Match details
Date: December 19, 2023
Time: 4.30 PM
Venue: St. George’s Park, Gqeberha, South Africa
Live streaming: Disney+Hotstar app, Star Sports network