IND vs RSA Team Previews
India
Not much has changed since Dharamsala. India are likely to go in with the same team they were going to at Dharamsala. India have a superb top-order consisting of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli. While Shikhar Dhawan was absent from India's tour of West Indies due to injury, Kohli and Sharma made most of the opportunity as they both scored well in Caribbean conditions. Shikhar Dhawan as well did particularly well for India 'A' in a few matches that he featured in.
India's new approach in T20s is pretty clear, and after the Windies series, it will be the first real test of that approach. Dropping the idea of conservative batting, the Indian management has suggested a new England-like approach with more emphasis on stroke-play and power-hitting. With the likes of Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Manish Pandey, and Shreyas Iyer available to bat in the middle-order, there is clear lack of experience, but plenty of flamboyance available. It will be interesting to see how India does without their premier wicket-keeper, and on-field strategist, MS Dhoni, the deep batting lineup should take care of the run-rate.
In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India appears to be a little light on the bowling front. While the likes of Navdeep Saini and Khaleel Ahmed did pretty well against the Windies, the challenge against South Africa will be a lot different and a bit tougher than that. Despite the absence of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, India's spin department looks settled with Jadeja and Krunal Pandya. If their quick bowlers can deliver with some wickets upfront, the spinners are going to relish bowling to this relatively inexperienced South African batting lineup.
India Playing 11
Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, V Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, RR Pant, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, NA Saini.
South Africa
While South Africa didn't end up on the wrong side of the result in the first match, the result was nothing less than a loss considering how important each and every match is for them. South Africa will enjoy coming to Mohali with the likes of Beuran Hendricks and David Miller having plenty of experience of playing with Kings XI Punjab at the same venue.
David Miller has a terrific record at this venue. With an average of over 42 and run coming in at a strike rate of 150. Other than him, the likes of Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, and Reeza Hendricks will be key players for the Proteas, as far as their batting is concerned.
With ICC World Cup not too far away, the Proteas' management have a dual responsibility to get the team rolling and to find the right combination for the marquee ICC event. With Imran Tahir retired, the likes of Tabraiz Shamsi and George Linde together have a huge void to fill. In the pace bowling department, the Proteas have a potent attack and are spoilt for choices. While Juinor Dala enjoys a fantastic record over Rohit Sharma, Anrich Nortje has done incredibly well in his short career so far. Even though its an excellent problem to have, picking one between those two is going to be a tricky task.
South Africa Playing 11
Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Temba Bavuma, RVD Dussen, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi.
IND vs RSA Betting Tips
Not often do we see T20I matches being washed without a ball bowled, but the night at Dharamsala was one such occasion when both the sides had to come out empty-handed. The weather at Mohali is a lot better with negligible chances of rain. In the second ODI, it's going to be a battle between South Africa's bowling and India's batting order and the winner of this mini-battle is likely to take the game as well. Comparing the two sides, on the whole, India have a better and a lot more experienced team that is going to enjoy playing at home. The support of the home crowd in benign conditions can prove to be a huge difference, and therefore, along with the other reasons mentioned above, India are better placed to emerge on top in the second, effectively first, match of the series.
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