The series opener in Delhi has set the tone for what will be an electrifying series in store, with the Proteas aiming to capitalise on the momentum from the 1st T20I win.

The T20I series between India and South Africa has started off with a bang. It was a manic run-fest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, and the Proteas came out ahead with some merciless striking from the experienced duo of David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen.

SA have the early advantage, but the balance hasn’t significantly tilted in their favour. Aiden Markram, their reliable #4, is on the road to recovery from COVID-19, leaving the batting thinner than usual.

Both teams had a rather lacklustre outing when it came to bowling and fielding. There will be an urge to rectify the errors from the last game and maximize consistency.

The 2nd T20I will be held at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, a venue that hasn’t hosted any international games in nearly two and a half years. As a result, conditions on offer remain a bit of a mystery, but don’t be surprised if it’s another high-scoring blockbuster.

Potential XI’s

There might be a relative paucity in batting depth, but it’s unlikely that the visitors will want to alter a winning combination, as cliche as it may sound.

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

The hosts may or may not make a change after losing a reasonably close game. But they may feel tempted to switch out one of their seamers for young phenom Umran Malik’s express pace. If that’s the case, Avesh Khan might be the one to make way, as Bhuvneshwar Kumar can be trusted at the Powerplay and Harshal Patel at the death.

Ishan Kishan
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Shreyas Iyer
Rishabh Pant (c and wk)
Hardik Pandya
Dinesh Karthik
Axar Patel
Harshal Patel
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Yuzvendra Chahal
Avesh Khan/ Umran Malik

In the spotlight

He’s been an inspiring presence in the team, but runs are the currency for skipper Temba Bavuma. It’s understandable that expectations have risen, given that he’s in charge. But a noteworthy contribution as early as the next game, especially against a strong opponent like India, will calm down the critics. While he’s not known for having a hard-hitting approach, he’ll have to be more efficient in manipulating the field.

There’s been plenty of buzz about Shreyas Iyer after his innings of 36 from 27 last game. At one point, he was at 22 from 8, after attacking both Proteas spinners. However, the back-of-a-length salvo from the seamers proved to be his undoing. It’s been a recurring technical flaw for the usually solid right-hander, but will he be able to sort it out?

There’s already plenty of competition in the top 4 in the absence of the incumbents, and this series is a very handy incentive to perform to boost his stocks.