India vs South Africa, 2nd Test Match Preview

South-Africa. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi – Gallo Images/Getty images)

So close, yet so far. That’s how India fared in 2023. Despite playing remarkably well, the Rohit Sharma-led side finished as runners-up in the World Test Championship as well as in the ODI World Cup, having lost to Australia on both occasions. The South Africa series was expected to bring the smiles back to the fans as skipper Rohit Sharma in the pre-match press conference mentioned ‘Mehnat kiya hai, kuch toh chahiye yaar’ (We have worked hard, we deserve something). India were fairly confident, having done well in Australia and England before, but the Proteas proved to be too hot for the visitors to handle.

India were handed an innings and 32-run defeat in the first Test of the series. Rohit complained that the other pacers didn’t support Jasprit Bumrah in Centurion and following which, there are rumours of Mukesh Kumar making it to the playing XI for the second Test against South Africa, which is slated to begin on January 3 and will be played in Cape Town. The skipper is reported to have spent a significant amount of time with the pacer in practice sessions, while Avesh Khan remains the other option who can feature in the XI.

The hosts meanwhile will miss the services of skipper Temba Bavuma in the second Test. The 33-year-old injured his hamstring in the first Test and in his absence, Dean Elgar has done a commendable job as the captain. He will be playing his final Test match of his career against India and leaving as a captain is the perfect end to his illustrious career.

Proteas pacers, on the other hand, have been a force to reckon with. Leaving Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, all the other batters have struggled to get going in the first Test as the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen have troubled them in both innings. The Indian batters will have to improve significantly, while the hosts will aim to keep up with the momentum.

Newlands Pitch Report

The surface is expected to favour the pacers in Newlands. There’s a tinge of grass, which is likely to bother the batters. Bowling first will be ideal as the team batting first will be aiming to post a huge total on the board.

IND vs SA Probable Playing XI

South Africa:

Temba Bavuma and Gerald Coetzee are out of the Test match, as Tristan Stubbs and Keshav Maharaj are likely to replace them in the playing XI. Other than that, South Africa are likely to go with the same squad.

Predicted XI: Dean Elgar (c), Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Keegan Petersen, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi

India:

Prasidh Krishna is very likely to get dropped, with Mukesh Kumar replacing him in the XI. On the other hand, Abhimanyu Easwaran has done well in the nets, but it’s unlikely that the team management will drop Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar

SA vs IND Tests Head-to-Head Records:

Matches Played	India won	South Africa won	NR	First Meeting	Last Meeting
43	15	18	10	13 November 1992	26 December 2023