India Predicted XI vs South Africa 2nd ODI: With series on the line, KL Rahul likely to shake things up with 2 changes | Cricket

India have plenty of issues to address as they look to level the ODI series against South Africa, having suffered a 31-run defeat in the opener at Paarl. Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen’s centuries were backed by a spirited bowling performance, leading to the hosts crushing India both strategically as well as on skills. Chasing 297 on a slower batting surface, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli added a 90-plus stand before the Indian batting unit stuttered to go from 152/3 to 214/8 and eventually fall well short of the South African total.

The defeat also laid questions about KL Rahul’s long-term future in the leadership role. He himself will look to score runs after a lacklustre outing in the first game. While the team will look to make amends in batting, the insipid bowling performance in the first game has left the team management with plenty to ponder. It remains to be seen whether India sticks to the same bowling combination or brings in Deepak Chahar or Mohammed Siraj.

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The Indian bowlers had no answers to Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen, who notched up contrasting centuries to take the game away. Picking up wickets at crucial junctures is something that the bowling unit needs to polish up. Also, Venkatesh Iyer, who made his ODI debut on Wednesday, didn’t bowl a single over in the match, raising questions over his role in the team as an all-rounder.

Rishabh Pant (16 from 22 balls) and Shreyas Iyer (17 off 17 deliveries) added 29 for the fourth wicket but they too fell in successive overs. The pair could also find itself under scrutiny after India’s dramatic stutter. India could likely hand another debut if head coach Rahul Dravid decides to tinker with the batting combination. Shardul Thakur’s late flourish after fine knocks from Dhawan & Kohli were the positives for the Indian camp.

Another difference between both sides was the performance of their spin units. Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal in their combined 20 overs gave away 106 runs for a single pluck. Aiden Markram, Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj, on the other hand, bowled 26 overs between them for 124 runs and snared four wickets. The visiting unit has many issues to address to avoid another series defeat on South African soil.

Here is a look at the predicted playing XI for India:

Ruturaj Gaikwad: Bringing in Gaikwad at the top could not be described as a swingeing change, taking into consideration the 24-year-old batter’s recent exploits in the domestic circuit. The leading run-scorer of the recent IPL edition, Gaikwad slammed 603 runs in just five matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22 at a staggering average of 150.75 and four centuries. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he had scored 259 runs at an average of 51.80 and a strike rate of 149.71.

Shikhar Dhawan: Returning to action after last year’s tour of Sri Lanka, Shikhar Dhawan proved his worth with a brilliant 79, albeit in a losing cause. Despite an average outing in the domestic season, the 36-year-old left-hander looked in sublime touch during his stay at the crease and collected 10 fours before falling prey to Keshav Maharaj.

Virat Kohli: While a few argued that the former skipper didn’t look his aggressive self, Virat Kohli hit a fine half-century in the series opener — his first as a pure batter for India since 2016. Batting on 51, the 33-year-old Kohli played against the run of play and perished off Tabraiz Shami’s delivery. He now holds the record for most runs in away ODIs for the team, which he achieved by surpassing legendary Sachin Tendulkar in the previous game.

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KL Rahul: Playing at the top with Shikhar Dhawan to conceal Rohit Sharma’s absence, Rahul didn’t look the part with the bat, managing to score just 12 before falling prey to Aiden Markram. His captaincy and long-term leadership role with the Indian team is at stake and the 29-year-old dasher will likely push himself down the batting to bolster the middle-order. He featured as a middle-order batting option for India in all his nine appearances in the ODI format, scoring 474 runs at an impressive average of 67.71.

Rishabh Pant: He chipped in with just 22-ball 16 in the first ODI and the team management would like Rishabh Pant to contribute with a more responsible approach. He was sent in to bat at the No. 4 spot, which has been India’s Achilles heel since the 2019 ODI World Cup. On a slower wicket in Paarl, Pant will have a bigger role to play other than sticking with his fearless brand of cricket. Pant and Shreyas are expected to rotate the strike to avoid another middle-order stutter.

Venkatesh Iyer: The left-handed all-rounder’s debut drew mixed reactions, given the fact that Venkatesh didn’t bowl a single over in the game. He was not brought on as there was some turn on the wicket and the spinners were doing well. But the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player will likely move into a more advanced role in the second ODI, especially when the bowlers failed to pluck wickets to halt the opposition run-flow.

Shardul Thakur: He was being taken to the cleaners by Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma, resulting in the bowling all-rounder recording figures of 0/70 in his 10 overs. But Shardul did provide India with some respite, scoring an entertaining fifty off 43 deliveries which featured five fours and a six. Shardul’s batting prowess makes him a compelling choice for the starting eleven.

Jasprit Bumrah: The 28-year-old Indian pacer has been a multi-format player and he will spearhead the pace unit. Bumrah is serving as deputy to Rahul and he was the pick of the Indian bowlers in the series opener, with figures of 2/48 in his 10 overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: He returned to the playing eleven after the tour of Sri Lanka and gave away 64 runs in his 10 overs without taking a wicket. The slower wicket might not work in his favour but Rahul Dravid likes to stick with his template of backing experienced players, hinting at the possibility of Bhuvneshwar being preferred over Deepak Chahar. 

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Mohammed Siraj: The seamer could chip in with that extra pace that India was missing in the series opener. But who goes out if Siraj comes in the starting eleven? India perhaps could show the exit door to Ravichandran Ashwin if they decided to accommodate one more pacer. Ashwin gave away 53 runs and also plucked a wicket in the first game but leggie Yuzvendra Chahal has a slight upper hand over the seasoned off-spinner.

Yuzvendra Chahal: Ashwin and Chahal in their combined 20 overs gave away 106 runs for a single wicket, which was in stark contrast to the opposition spinners, who took three wickets in 26 overs while conceding 124 runs. There’s also a possibility of Chahal sitting out for the second match but the leg-spinner’s wicket-taking ability might work in his favour.

IND Predicted XI vs SA, 2nd ODI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (C), Rishabh Pant, Venkatesh Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal