SA vs IND 2024/25, SA vs IND 2nd T20I Match Preview

Contents hide

1 Massive image: Two contrasting T20I runs

2 Type information

3 Within the highlight: Gerald Coetzee and Arshdeep Singh

4 Workforce information: Will India hand Ramandeep a debut?

5 Pitch and circumstances

6 Stats and trivia

7 Quotes

Massive image: Two contrasting T20I runs

Each India and South Africa had a sensational T20 World Cup 2024. They sailed by the group stage unbeaten after which topped their respective groups within the Tremendous Eight earlier than registering snug wins within the semi-finals. Even in the finalthere was little to separate the 2 groups proper until the tip.

Since then, although, their fortunes have taken completely different paths, particularly in T20Is.

Regardless of dropping three large gamers to retirement after the World Cup triumph, India have loved a seamless transition with Suryakumar Yadav taking up and the children becoming in nicely. They’re at the moment on a 11-match winning streakwhich features a sequence victory in Zimbabwe, sequence sweeps in opposition to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and a win within the opening recreation of the sequence in opposition to South Africa on Friday.

India have performed 23 T20Is this yr and won 22 with the one loss coming in opposition to Zimbabwe within the first T20I in early July. And critically, they’ve achieved quite a lot of these wins with out their first-choice T20I gamers. They will equal their best-ever streak of 12 (which they’ve achieved twice), in the event that they handle to win the second T20I in opposition to South Africa in Gqeberha on Sunday.

On the opposite finish, South Africa have struggled since that last loss. They misplaced 3-0 to West Indies in Tarouba, whereas their sequence in opposition to Eire in Abu Dhabi completed 1-1. The Durban loss extends that run.

One factor that helped South Africa dominate the T20 World Cup was how brilliantly your entire group gelled collectively. That is one factor they’ve lacked in the previous few T20Is. Their captain Aiden Markram has struggled with type whereas they’ve additionally missed a crux of their principal gamers within the XI.

Now down 1-0 within the four-match sequence, South Africa will likely be determined to get again to successful methods at a venue the place they’ve registered three wins in 4 outings, together with one against India last year. Can they do this?

Type information

South Africa LOL (final 5 T20Is, most up-to-date first)
India WWWWW

Within the highlight: Gerald Coetzee and Arshdeep Singh

Whereas all the opposite South Africa bowlers had been taken to the cleaners within the first T20I, Gerald Coetzee was the one one who offered a semblance of management. He was fiery, extracted good bounce and had the India batters on their toes. In keeping with ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball knowledge, 14 of his 24 deliveries had been both brief or wanting an excellent size and that helped him take wickets. The floor in Gqeberha is more likely to help his hit-the-deck type of bowling.

Arshdeep Singh has been one of many key causes behind India’s superb T20I run in 2024. He is performed simply 15 matches and already has 29 wickets, the second-highest for a participant from a Full-Member nation this yr. In Gqeberha, too, he has a couple of data in sight. At the moment fourth on the list for many T20I wickets for India with 88, Arshdeep has an opportunity to go previous Jasprit Bumrah (89) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (90) and rise to second place behind Yuzvendra Chahal (96). With India scheduled to play three extra T20Is this yr, he additionally has an opportunity to say the file for the most wickets taken in a calendar year by an India pacer, at the moment held by Bhuvneshwar who scalped 37 in 2022.

Workforce information: Will India hand Ramandeep a debut?

Nqabayomzi Peter regarded out of kinds within the opening T20I and could possibly be changed by quick bowler Ottneil Baartman. Reeza Hendricks missed the opening T20I because of sickness, and if match, is more likely to slot again on the prime. It stays to be seen if he comes instead of Ryan Rickelton or Patrick Kruger, who had a tricky outing in Durban – each with bat and ball.

South Africa (possible): 1 Ryan Rickelton (wk), 2 Aiden Markram (capt), 3 Tristan Stubbs, 4 Heinrich Klaasen, 5 David Miller, 6 Partrick Kruger, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Andile Simelane, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 10 Keshav Maharaj, 11 Nqabayomzi Peter/Ottneil Baartman

It was barely stunning to see India go together with three spinners in Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakravarthy. In Gqeberha, the place the floor is more likely to support extra tempo, they could look to herald Ramandeep Singh, who can play the finisher’s function and supply a couple of overs of medium tempo. India are unlikely to make any modifications to their batting.

India (possible): 1 Sanju Samson (wk), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel/Ramandeep Singh, 8 Arshdeep Singh, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Varun Chakravarthy

Pitch and circumstances

There’s a little bit of rain within the air in Gqeberha, however it’s unlikely to have an effect on the match. The floor is more likely to have loads for the quick bowlers with good bounce and carry. The temperature is more likely to hover across the low to mid 20 levels on the Celsius scale.

Stats and trivia

Hardik Pandya, at the moment on 87 T20I wickets, has an opportunity to leapfrog Arshdeep (88), Bumrah (89) and Bhuvneshwar (90) and transfer to second on India’s all-time T20I wicket-takers record.
Sanju Samson turned simply the fourth batter to attain successive T20I centuries in Durban. No batter has scored three consecutive centuries in T20Is so far
Samson’s strike charge of 180.66 is the highest for any Full Member batter in 2024 with a minimal of 300 runs
India have a terrific T20I file in opposition to South Africa in South Africa: seven wins and three losses in ten matches

Quotes

“While you’re enjoying an opponent like South Africa, we all know the power they carry with them they usually have a extremely nice crew strolling in they usually play their cricket actually aggressively. We simply should respect them and do what we’re recognized for. We’re the world champions for the time being, so I feel we have now to play like that and we simply should deal with what’s in our management and simply carry on seeking to dominate on this format, which we have now been doing for final one yr.”
Sanju Samson says India will carry on going onerous with the bat regardless of the opposition

“We had been simply within the last of a T20 World Cup. Now’s a brand new crew. There’s a World Cup developing the yr after, so we’d like new blood. There’s loads of expertise, we have seen that. It is simply the boys want expertise, have to sharpen their expertise and we’ll be good to go.”
Gerald Coetzee is not considering an excessive amount of about South Africa’s current lack of type

Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo