Indian cricket team look to level the series in Centurion
Date and Time : 13-17 January 2018, 1:30 PM IST
Venue : SuperSport Park, Centurion
India will be disappointed after the result of the first Test as they lost from a winning situation. It was a good opportunity to win a Test match in South Africa.
But India can still bounce back as two other Tests remain in the series. They will have to quickly forget about the Cape Town Test and start concentrating on Centurion Test.
India have the capability and have been doing well in recent times. Although in South Africa the conditions are different and will definitely aid the home team.
The Proteas will be very confident going into this match as the favorites to win the series. The SuperSport Park pitch will be helpful for fast bowlers.
South Africa didn’t let the Indian batters breathe easily and will once again be aiming to do the same. The weather forecast is also good for the Centurion Test.
Team news and possible line-ups
South Africa have added Duanne Olivier and Lungi Ngidi to their squad. But neither of them would replace injured Dale Steyn in the playing XI for the 2nd Test.
Ottis Gibson is likely to give Chris Morris an opportunity in the second game.
As for India, they will likely play Ajinkya Rahane in the 2nd Test and he will replace Jasprit Bumrah. Rest of the Indian team remains the same.
South Africa XI : Elgar, Markram, Amla, De Villiers, Du Plessis (C), De Kock (WK), Morris, Philander, Rabada, Maharaj, M. Morkel.
India XI : Vijay, Dhawan, Pujara, Kohli (C), Rahane, R. Sharma, Pandya, Ashwin, Saha (WK), B. Kumar, Shami.
Prediction
No doubt South Africa start as favorites for the 2nd Test but India are the number one ranked Test team in the world for a reason. I expect India to bounce back in the Centurion Test.
