Indians Aim To Extend Their Dominance To Get Another Series Win
Overview
After the humbling against India in the 1st T20I, the Proteas will be eyeing a strong comeback in the 2nd game. Their batting lineup was blown away by some early seam and swing produced by young Indian quicks. This time around, they will try to form a solid base at the top.
But how can they start better against the moving ball? Simply, by moving their feet. 4 out of the first 5 South African wickets fell due to batsmen playing the ball from the crease and with zero feet movement. Hence, they need to ensure they don’t play the new ball with the cemented feet again.
The Indians will be delighted after a dominating show in the first game. Although their top 3 were also found wanting against the pace and movement of Proteas pacers. They found themselves at 17 for 2 after 6.1 overs before being rescued by SYK’s counter-attacking knock.
Such a struggling start could have cost them the game if they were not chasing a significantly small total of just 107 runs. So, their top order must fix these issues before the next game.
Weather and Conditions
Guwahati weather will be extremely hot (around 38°C) during the match timing. Such hot weather will bring spin into play.
Only 5 T20 games have been played here before, with an average first innings score of just 127 runs. Batting first seems a better option at this venue, considering the pitch and the conditions.
Players to Keep an Eye On
Anrich Nortje has the ability to clock more than 150 clicks quite continuously and push any batsman on the back foot. Due to the pace and bounce he generates, he will be a huge asset for the SA team in the T20 World Cup. So, they will love for him to continue his good form with the ball.
Arshdeep Singh impressed everyone in the Asia Cup 2022 with his pin-point yorkers at the death. In the last game, he stunned the South Africans with his new ball spell. He can guarantee himself a place in India’s first-choice XI for the World Cup by continuing his good run of form.
Key Match Ups
Parnell vs Rahul and Rohit
The left-arm South African quick troubled Rahul with a series of inswingers in the first game. Also, Rohit is quite circumspect to start against the left-arm angle. Therefore, Parnell will certainly look to grab this opportunity with both hands.
Ashwin vs Rossouw
Rossouw likes to dominate spinners by smashing them as early as they come to bowl. However, Ashwin is bowling with great control, and he always loves the challenge of bowling to the lefties. Thus, we may witness a fierce battle between the two.
Team News
South Africa
South Africa were playing with their full-strength side on Wednesday. On that account, they might go with the same team again or make one odd change at most.
Probable XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell/Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi
India
Bumrah is reportedly injured and is out of the T20 World Cup in Australia. Shami is also unavailable, so India should go with the same bowling lineup and the same team as well. The only possible change could be Chahal coming in for Axar.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel/Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Arshdeep Singh
What They Said
“As a batting unit, we failed to apply ourselves in those conditions. We didn’t expect the pitch to play this way. Yes, we expected it to be spicy, but normally you will be able to hit through the line in this part of the world.”
South African skipper confesses that they were caught off guard on a seamers-friendly pitch.
“The plan was really simple, the ball was swinging, we pitched it in the right places, and it worked well. Today, it was more about the new ball, and we worked really well as a pair, me and DC (Deepak Chahar), and a lot of credit goes to him as well.”
Arshdeep Singh reflected on the conditions in the first T20I and his bowling partnership with Deepak Chahar.
