Shikhar Dhawan, who made a fine 79 in the first ODI, had some words for us before play starts:
“It was a beautiful feeling to be back in the Indian side, and scoring runs straightaway after five-six months brought more confidence and clarity for me. It was more of an Asian wicket, less bounce, not like a South African wicket. At the same time, there was some awkward turn as well. So we knew that we have to build a partnership and take it deeply because it was not easy for a newcomer to bat. It is very important in the middle overs to take wickets, we did that at the start but we couldn’t in the middle. But it’s part of learning. You come up with new ideas and new plans. Everyone will see today that we have new plans and new strategies. In any sort of game, the basics stay the same. Build a partnership and then take it further.”
India win the toss and choose to bat.
KL Rahul:
It’s pretty straightforward. The second game on the same strip so it’s important for us to put runs on the board. We’re guessing and hoping the wicket will get slow later on.[on the first game loss] We didn’t do it too wrong, but the middle overs with bat and ball – we couldn’t get wickets and we couldn’t get partnerships going. Virat and Shikhar batted really well, setting the tempo for us. One more partnership we would have probably got home. We did speak about it, and the batters realized where we went wrong. Nobody wants to do it on purpose, everyone tried really hard. We’ve learned from it and spoken about it. Same team.
Temba Bavuma:
We probably would have wanted to bat first. Like KL said it’s quite straightforward. Saying that I think there will be an opportunity where in the first hour with the ball nipping a bit. We got ourselves in a bit of a pickle losing wickets upfront but the big partnership between Rassie and I got us going. Bowling was 80-85% on. We want to get even better from the last game, try to improve those five percenters. We’d like to seal the series now, but in saying that we’re going to have to do the basics well. One change, Sisanda Magala. comes in for Marco Jansen. Marco’s had a big workload, so we felt he was a bit flat in the first game. We’ve got full confidence in Magala.
India vs South Africa Highlights today, Friday 21-1-2022, 2nd ODI, India tour of South Africa from Boland Park, Paarl.
India team: 1 KL Rahul (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Venkatesh Iyer, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal.
South Africa team: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk) 2 Janneman Malan 3 Aiden Markram 4 Rassie van der Dussen 5 Temba Bavuma (capt) 6 David Miller 7 Andile Phehlukwayo 8 Sisanda Magala 9 Keshav Maharaj 10 Tabraiz Shamsi 11 Lungi Ngidi.
Form guide
(last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: LLWWW
South Afric: WLWLW
Match Timings: 08:00 GMT | 10:00 Local
Umpires – Adrian Holdstock, Marais Erasmus
TV Umpires – Bongani Jele
Match Referee – Andy Pycroft
Reserve Umpire – Allahudien Paleker
Match number – Test no. 2446
Post match Presentation.
KL Rahul:
They are playing some really good cricket at home and we are making mistakes as well in the middle. Good learning for us. Obviously not great to be on the losing side two games in a row. (Changes to your side?) Not with individuals but we’re trying to get better at things we haven’t done well in the past. I spoke about partnerships earlier. The middle-order is crucial going into a big tournament. We want to get wickets in the middle, creating pressure.
(Pitches being subcontinental) Yes, it does feel like one of the wickets at home. I don’t think it was a pitch they could have chased down 280 that easily but credit to them, they batted well. They showed us the importance of partnerships and the importance of putting pressure early. (Positives) The way Virat and Shikhar batted in the first game. The way Rishabh batted today. Not easy to come in with two down. He’s a really important member of the team.
Shardul has been hitting the ball well at the end and he’s showing us he can bat. Jasprit Bumrah is obviously phenomenal. Continues to be the standout bowler of the team. I think the energy has been great, obviously, it’s really hot. Not saying it as an excuse but we haven’t played 50 overs cricket in a long time. It’s been tough on the body, staying in the bubbles. It’s challenging, but I’m not saying we don’t love challenges. Look ahead to the third game and try to win that one. Maybe a few changes, may not be, I can’t say.
Temba Bavuma:
Very happy. That was the objective for us starting the series, we wanted to win the series. We weren’t expecting to do it after two games. Obviously great to have Quinny back, see him smiling in the team. He reminded us again why he’s such a valuable player. I think as a team we have a lot of self-belief and confidence in our ability.
We go out there and fight for one another. We really try to put in a real team effort. We don’t really on superstars or one or two performances. Coming into this series, no one gave us much of a chance, so that really gave us motivation. We pride ourselves in our fast bowlers. But to see the spin bowlers bringing the game home for us, really makes us aside to be reckoned with.
(captaincy) I enjoy it. Have enjoyed it since I did it at domestic cricket. I try and see how I can serve and inspire others in the team. Fortunate that there are a lot of cricket brains in the team. That’s a good thing. Sometimes it can be a bad thing, they can confuse you on the field. I think 3-0 sounds a lot better than 2-1, but in saying that, we’ll enjoy the win today.
Quinton de Kock is the Player of the Match:
Nice to get out there and score a couple of runs for once. Lack of game-time catches up with players, so nice to be out there. The more I batted, the more I felt my rhythm was coming back. Me and Janneman have a good relationship out there. I was coming at the bowlers and he was just rotating strike to get me on strike. We have a great understanding. (Life as a father) It’s been brief. Only had a chance to spend a couple of days at home. I think it’s changed my view on life and just kids in general.
