The second Test match between India and South Africa at Guwahati is a do-or-die situation for India. The home team is literally in a corner after a surprising defeat in Kolkata. The series is already in favour of South Africa by 1-0, and another loss would mean an embarrassing 2-0 clean sweep on Indian soil.
This situation is no longer about cricket; it is about India’s pride and redemption. So, the only way for the home team is to win the match and thus level the series to keep their hopes alive. The pressure is really high, but Guwahati is the place where the team can strongly fight back and have the chance to prove that they deserve to be at the top.
The spin pair of Harmer and Jansen from South Africa is sure to be a nightmare for the Indian batsmen. On the other hand, the Indian side is also well-equipped with Rishabh Pant and Kuldeep Yadav, who are the match-changers. The side that gets to 250+ runs first will have the upper hand in the game.
Bavuma and Jansen are the match-winners for South Africa; however, Pant can be a game-changer all by himself. This Test will be won by the team that will be able to handle the pressure and perform at the crucial moments.
India vs South Africa Head-to-Head Record:
The rivalry between the two sides has seen them play a total of 44 Test matches against each other. So far, the head-to-head is led by South Africa with 19 wins to India’s 16. Draws accounted for ten games.
India vs South Africa Pitch Report
Ground at Barsapara Stadium usually provides spin, grip, and bounce that is not consistent going forward through the match. On the first day, there may be decent batting conditions but the cracks start to appear on Day 2, making the spinners’ job easier. It is very likely that reverse swing will have an impact as well because of the hard surface.
The team that wins the toss should opt for batting, as the fourth inning will be very difficult. A score of 250–300 in the first innings would be considered a competitive one. The pitch is likely to begin favoring spin bowlers from the second session of Day 1.
India vs South Africa: Predicted Playing 11s
South Africa
Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Ryan Rickelton, Temba Bavuma (c), Senuran Muthusamy, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada
India
Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah
Who will win the match?
India should come back with great power in Guwahati to display their better batting technique as well as a more powerful spin attack. South Africa will confront them but the Indian side will have enough strength in their squad to equal the series 1-1.
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