Match Prediction:
Indian pacers crashed South Africa at Johannesburg’s Bull Ring. Bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan took advantage of the favorable conditions to complete their demolition job in 15 overs, but all-rounder Andile Phelukwayo’s late-order rearguard performance ensured that the host team avoided the humiliation of being skittled out for fewer than 100. South African bowlers were unable to match the performance of their Indian counterparts, and Indian hitters cruised to victory in less than twenty overs.
To win the toss only to be bowled out within 30 overs reflects poorly on South Africa, and the hosts will be eager to produce a recovery. They may breathe a sigh of relief now that the action has shifted to Gqeberha, where they trounced India in the second Twenty20 International.
Winning Chances:
Toss Prediction:
Historically, the outcome of the match has been determined by the coin toss. Teams batting first have won 20 of the 42 games played here, while chasing teams have won 21 of them. Given South Africa’s batting difficulties, India may send the hosts in to bat first and challenge them to a large score, especially if the conditions are favorable for bowling.
Weather Report:
The conditions here are conducive to pace and spin, which might play into the hands of Indian bowlers. The surface here is typically dry, making run scoring difficult during the middle overs unless batsmen gather 1s and 2s to keep the clock ticking.
Pitch Report:
The second ODI will be played at St George’s Park, which hosted the second T20I. The highest total here is 656 runs in 99.1 overs when South Africa played Australia in an ODI in 2002, and the lowest total is 240 runs in 68.1 overs in a game between South Africa and England in 2009.
South Africa Preview:
The South African batting squad was unable to recover fully from the humiliation of the third T20I, collapsing to less than 120 without a fight. Except for opener Zorzi and all-rounder Phelukwayo, the rest of the team failed to get the bat to the ball. Back-to-back batting disasters are difficult to recover from, especially when the turnaround is short. But South Africa must swiftly put their shambolic batting displays behind them and present a completely different side.
It is impossible to make technical improvements in such a short period of time, therefore it is critical that they stick to their skills and have confidence that they can see out the threat when the ball moves a little and play their shoots and score runs when it becomes simpler. The South African bowlers haven’t had much to work with in the last two games, so they’ll be hoping their batsmen come through and put enough runs on the board for them to work with.
South Africa Squad Predicted:
Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Tabraiz Shamsi.
India Preview:
The start to the ODI series could not have been better for India. South African batsmen had no answers to the challenges asked by Indian bowlers, particularly Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan in the first ODI. The two pacers took nine wickets between them, limiting the hosts to their lowest ODI score ever at home.
In fact, South Africa’s illiterate batting made things much easier for them, but the discipline their bowlers displayed in advantageous conditions was extraordinary. After cheaply dismissing South Africa’s top order, Arshdeep and Avesh did not become complacent, and continued to bowl incisive spells to ensure the home team did not claw their way back in. They hunted as a pack and shared 9 wickets, finishing the South African innings in under 30 overs. They did all of the heavy lifting, and the innings was nearly over before Axar Patel could come on to bowl.
India Squad Predicted
KL Rahul (c & wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar.
South Africa vs India Prediction:
The hosts’ strong strength is batting, but two consecutive failures with the bat must have dented their confidence. They are vulnerable when their batting fails to fire, and with many batsmen in the side still looking inexperienced, the likelihood are they will fold under duress if the pitch and conditions favor bowling. India has a reasonably decent pace and spin attack, and it will be difficult for South African hitters to compete when the conditions favor swing and seam or spin bowling.
