India vs South Africa 2nd T20: India will look to trump visitors

India vs South Africa 2nd T20: India will look to trump visitors: A run feast at the picturesque Dharamshala has set the tone for the series. South Africa will be happy to start the 72-day tour on a right note while India will fancy their chances at Cuttack. Both the teams made full use of the shorter ropes and went after the bowling.

India will look to take the positives coming into the second tie. The man in-form Rohit Sharma will look to capitalize from the start and set up a similar platform for the rest of the lineup. When in form, Rohit can be a deadly threat, as we have seen in the previous game. On the other hand, Dhawan who missed out with a freakish run-out, will look to take on the pacers early on, and craft his innings to perfection. South Africa will be wary of the Indian top order, as Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Kohli are very much among runs coming into the 3 match series. Whereas for South Africa, the mantra would be to keep it simple. The top order looks promising, with Amla, AB de Villiers, Du Plessis and inform Duminy covering up the top slots, Indian bowlers doesn’t have much scope to go wrong.

When it comes to bowling, both the teams will look to hit the nets and iron out the faults. If India’s bowling comes across as a major concern, then Africa aren’t far away. Apart from Abbott and Ashwin, all the bowlers have been ordinary, with most of them going over 10 runs per over. Dharamshala being a small ground, the run flow was expected;but no matter which format you are in, unless you show a certain amount of discipline during the death overs, the opposition will drive you to all corners.

One may blame the umpire for the poor call, but South Africa did very well to take on the poor balls throughout the course of the game. Both teams will look to cash in the chances, but more importantly, the likes of Tahir and Mohit must work on their stock balls. The teams are expected to play out the same eleven, but with captain MSD wearing the thinking cap, don’t be surprised to see a change or two. India will look to make the numbers even while South Africa will look to seal the series early. With India having a knack of coming back on time, place your cards with a thought.

Pitch:

The Cuttack wicket promises to be a belter of a pitch. But with a much longer boundary, the bowlers will fancy their chances.The side batting first will look to post a 170 plus total, while the pitch is expected to stay the same through the course of 40 overs. A light shower came inviting to the city, but if reports are to be believed, the spectators will have their money’s worth.

Probable XI:

India : Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, M.S.Dhoni,Virat Kohli, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina,Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma, S.Arvind.

South Africa : H.Amla, A.B. De Villiers, F du Plessis, JP Duminy,F Behardien, DA Miller, CH Morris,K Rabada, KJ Abbott, M de Lange, Imran Tahir.