South Africa vs India, 2nd T20I - India Predicted XI

Team India continued their rampaging form in the limited overs cricket with a convincing win over South Africa in the first T20I of the three match series. The win at Wanderers has given the visitors a very crucial 1-0 head up in the series. Certainly, they managed to tick all their boxes right on the day. The batsmen contributed with the bat and the bowlers were up to the mark.

Furthermore, the fielders did not let India down either. Some really good grabs were on display in the first T20I. On the other hand, the Proteas camp have a lot to think about before they head in to the next match. Their batting, as admitted by their skipper JP Duminy, has proved to be the Achilles heel for them in the limited overs cricket this season.

It will be interesting to see how they go about their game as the action moves to the SuperSport Park, Centurion. The venue has been a happy hunting ground for team India as they had registered two big wins at the venue in the ODI series. Also, it will worth watching how the Indian team lineup for the game. Whether the benched players get a look in, or the usual ones fill the spaces, it will be interesting to see.

Here is the India Predicted XI for the Centurion T20I:

Openers (Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma)

The Indian openers have been in sublime form on the tour. Shikhar Dhawan, in particular, has been in stupendous touch. Dhawan, who was a masterclass in the ODIs, continued his good form in the first T20I. He was the top scorer for the Indian side with a crafty 72 to his name. He is set to open for the side in the second game as well.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma, who had struck form in the fifth ODI of the match, started off in a blitzkrieg fashion. He clobbered two sixes and two fours during his 9-ball stay at the Wanderers. Had he stayed for a longer run, India would have certainly scored 30-odd runs more. Rohit will hope to convert his good starts to a big score now.

Middle-Order (Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey)

The Indian middle-order has been a worrying concern for the team on the tour. Barring Virat Kohli, there has been no batsman who has shown consistency with the bat. Kohli seemed to have carried his good form of the ODI series in the T20Is as well. However, he failed to make it big in the first game.

The comeback man, Suresh Raina, was under the limelight in the first game. Raina was promoted ahead of Kohli in the match and he showed great promise by hitting a maximum. But his streaky luck came to an end soon. Raina would hope for a better show in the remaining two games to leave an imprint.

Manish Pandey finally got a go on the tour in the previous game. In his first appearance for the side, Pandey scored an unbeaten 29. However, the innings was the fluent best from Pandey. He is renowned for being a fearless cricketer. He will be hoping for an improved show. Pandey is likely to retain his place in the side.

Wicketkeeper (MS Dhoni)

MS Dhoni is set to continue as the wicketkeeper in the match. Dhoni has had a lean patch with the bat thus far on the tour. He will head in to the game being under immense pressure to perform. The critics have been questioning his skills as a finisher. With the gloves, Dhoni’s contributions remain unmatched.

All-rounder (Hardik Pandya)

All-rounder Hardik Pandya is expected to retain his place in the side. Pandya hit a couple of boundaries in the previous game during his unbeaten stay at the crease. With the ball, he was a tad expensive as he leaked 45 runs in his spell. But he did manage to take the big wicket of David Miller in the match.

Spinners (Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav)

In the recent times, the track in Centurion has been on the slower side. This is because of the season coming to an end. In the ODI series, it was evident that the slowness of the track assisted the spinners big time. Hence, in all likelihood, the Indian team is set to field their spin twins for the Centurion T20I.

Yuzvendra Chahal had a decent time in the first game. He would have certainly liked it even more had he been a little more economical in the game. On the other hand, Kuldeep Yadav did not play the first game since he had a finger injury. He is likely to be fit for the second game.

Pace bowlers (Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar)

In the pace bowling department, Jaydev Unadkat is likely to lose his place. Unadkat certainly did a fair job in the first game. But there is a very good chance of the team going ahead with two spinners considering the assistance they have been getting at the venue in the recent times. Hence, there could be two pacers in the lineup.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are likely to be the beneficiaries. They have been the preferred pacers for the Indian team on the tour thus far. Bhuvneshwar was the Player of the Match for India in the first game. It was his five-wicket haul that set the tone for the Indian win. On the other hand, Bumrah is a proven master of the format and is very accurate with his death overs bowling.

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