India vs South Africa 2015, 2nd ODI: Preview, Team News, Live stream and TV Channel Info

With Ashwin sidelined by a strain, Dhoni will bank heavily on Amit Mishra to tame the South Africans

After South Africa sneaked past the hosts during the final few overs of the 1st first ODI in Kanpur, an under-fire MS Dhoni will want his bowlers to step-up significantly if India are to bounce back in the series. Having begun the tour with conviction, the visitors will be aware that their sojourn in India could enter a demanding phase with an increased emphasis on spin.

However, AB De Villiers’ troops may breathe easy as India’s lead spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin’s participation in the remaining matches could be under massive doubt. He had suffered a side-strain during the course of play in the Kanpur ODI and hence could not complete his quota. This means that Amit Mishra may have to shoulder the bowling attack, with the Indian seamers disappearing to all parts of the ground. Nonetheless, the focus will also be on skipper Dhoni whose waning finishing skills also highlighted India’s lower order woes.

Meanwhile, the Proteas seem to be surging ahead with every encounter. Drawing upon their previous experiences in India, the South African batsmen have enjoyed the placid pitches which have been on offer. The bowling attack is also in spectacular form with an inexperienced Kagiso Rabada complementing the senior pace duo of Steyn and Morkel. With Imran Tahir picking up crucial wickets, the South Africans would want to continue their winning momentum.

Upon starring with the ball in the previous ODI, an excited Rabada had enthused, “To date, I have never felt that much pressure in a game simply because of the magnitude of the players and also the level of international cricket with the fans. It was a big game today. There's no bigger stage than this. I was bowling to one of the best players in the world in MS Dhoni. I've seen players win games from that position."

Even though the lower-order could not seal the match, Dhoni was effusive in praising Rohit Sharma’s delightful 150. He stated, “The way we started, Rohit and Ajinkya's partnership in the middle and the way Rohit carried on even after getting a hundred. It was hot and humid, but overall the way he batted and carried on, that was very remarkable.”

Broadcast Details

TV Channel: Star Sports 1, HD1 (English) and 3, HD3 (Hindi)

Online Stream: www.starsports.com

Date: October 14, Wednesday

Time: 13:30 IST | 10:00 SAST

Venue: Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore

For any other updates regarding the match, follow the Sportskeeda website.

Team News

India

With Ashwin looking unlikely to recover in time, India could bring back Axar Patel or Harbhajan to partner Mishra in the middle-overs. The 35-year-old Harbhajan has been included in the squad as a back-up and will join the team ahead of the match. The team management could also consider handing a debut to Gurkeerat Singh Mann in a bid to bolster the struggling lower-middle order.

South Africa

The South African team management would not want to change a winning combination. Since there are no major injury worries, AB De Villiers may not entertain thoughts of altering the playing eleven. Even though David Miller’s place is under scrutiny following a string of low scores, he is expected to be backed up by the coaching staff. There appears to be enough depth in the squad with the likes of Kyle Abbott and Chris Morris warming the bench.

Possible Line-ups

India XI

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (C & WK), Suresh Raina, Gurkeerat Singh Mann/Stuart Binny, Axar Patel/ Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav

South Africa XIQuinton De Kock (WK), Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB De Villiers (C), JP Duminy, David Miller, Farhaan Behardien, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir

Pitch & Conditions

The pitch at the Holkar Stadium in Indore is generally a batting-friendly one as evinced by Virender Sehwag’s mammoth 219 against West Indies during the last match played here. While the weather is predicted to be hot and humid with temperatures hovering between 22-37 C, the ramifications could lead to a hint of dryness in the surface. Since batting under lights could prove to be tricky, both captains might want to bat first and apply scoreboard pressure on the opposition.

Recent Form

India: L-W-W-W-W

South Africa: W-W-L-W-L

Key Stats

• South Africa have never won a bilateral ODI series in India.
• Hashim Amla needs only 44 runs to become the fastest batsmen to reach 6000 runs.
• Virat Kohli averages 29.92 in all completed ODIs in 2015 with just one century.
• Amit Mishra requires just 3 wickets to get to 50 ODI wickets.
• Imran Tahir’s bowling average of 21.84 is second only to Ajantha Mendis’ 21.17 for all ODI bowlers with a minimum of 50 wickets.