IND vs SA: 2nd T20I Preview – India up for the battle in Cuttack

India will be locking horns against South Africa in the second T20I the five-match, to be played at the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack on June 12 (Sunday). The Men in Blue had to suffer a defeat at the hands of the Proteas in the first match as despite making a 200+ run score, the Indian bowlers could not defend the total.

For South Africa, David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen were the heroes with the bat as they went on to complete their respective fifties and chase down the total easily. Quinton de Kock and Dwaine Pretorius also made some small but crucial contributions. However, their bowlers received a beating at the hands of Indian batters.

The second T20I match might not be a run-fest as the pitch at the Barabati Stadium is expected to assist spinners. As a result, tweakers from both sides including Tabraiz Shamsi, Keshav Maharaj, and Yuzvendra Chahal might have a say in the match. Pacer Harshal Patel can also make an impact as he is known for his cutters and slower ones.

Here’s the predicted playing XI of India vs South Africa:

India

The Men in Blue are expected to play the same XI. However, the bowlers will want to put up a much better bowling performance if team India wants to make a comeback in the series.

Probable XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c, wk), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvnenshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal

South Africa

After winning the first match, the Proteas side is expected to not make any changes to its playing XI. Skipper Temba Bavuma, who made only ten runs in the previous match, would want to score some runs for his country.

Probable XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje