India vs South Africa 2019, 2nd T20I: Match Preview

With the first T20 International at Dharamsala being washed out, both India and South Africa will be looking to bring their A-game to the second T20 International at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali to be played on September 18, 2019.

After heavy rains lashed Dharamsala, the first T20 International was abandoned without a ball being bowled on September 15, 2019. Now that a match has been lost, both captains Virat Kohli and Quinton de Kock will be rearing to go and pick up their first victories in the series. With just two T20 Internationals remaining, there is added pressure on both the teams to work extra hard to get that first win.

India will be the more confident side going into this game considering their successful stint against a mediocre West Indies team. South Africa, on the other hand, are coming from a nightmare performance in the World Cup 2019 in England. After winning their final game against Australia at Manchester, the Proteas ended their poor World Cup series on a high and are yet to play an international game since. More than two months later, De Kock's men are facing one of the world's most consistent teams and it is up to De Kock to find the right balance in his team, and as a batsman, lead the way to help his team cross the finish line.

For Kohli, it will be essential to solidify the opening pair, with Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul available for the two spots. Rohit has time and again proved his ability to be an impeccable short-format batsman, and his statistics make for good reading. Although Dhawan has been his usual partner, Kohli might give Rahul an opportunity. Even though he failed to deliver in the tests against West indies, Rahul has performed in the shortest format of the game as witnessed in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and his additional skill as wicketkeeper could be something that keeps him in the playing XI.

Out of the three in the shortest format, Rohit Sharma has the most runs (2022 in 64 innings) opening for India, whilst Rahul has the highest strike rate (148.10) and average (42.80) which leaves Dhawan's position at the top in a state of worry.

KL Rahul (L), Rohit Sharma (M), Shikhar Dhawan(R): Who will open the innings for India?

With Kohli a permanent fixture at number 3, the hunt will begin again for the right batsman at number 4. With two contenders for that spot -- Manish Pandey and Shreyas Iyer -- it will be crucial for Kohli to pick the more suitable one, one who will be able to anchor the innings and stabilize the middle order, which has been a big question mark for India after the absence of MS Dhoni.

Further down the order comes 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman from Uttarkhand, Rishabh Pant. While the question around Pant's ability to replace the reputed MS Dhoni both with the gloves and the bat is being thrown around, India is yet to find a better player for the number 5 position. Having performed below expectations on the West Indies tour, it is time for Pant to step up and take responsibility if he wishes to cement his spot in the playing XI.

Will Rishabh Pant break out of his poor form and cement his number 5 spot?

The lower order of the team will most likely consist of both the Pandya brothers with either Ravindra Jadeja or Washington Sundar sealing a spot. Considering Jadeja's recent form and experience, he may be the more likely candidate. The pace battery will most likely consist of Khaleel Ahmed and Deepak Chahar, whose pace and swing could definitely play a role in removing the South African top-order batsmen.

Quinton de Kock

The Proteas team is relatively new, including a change of captaincy. Young Quinton de Kock has been trusted with the captaincy with hopes that he can shape this South African team, starting right from his batting. Opening the innings, Quinton de Kock has to realize the responsibility on his shoulders to lead by example and score runs. Irrespective of batting first or chasing, he must push from the start to pick up runs, along with his partner.

In the absence of veteran Hashim Amla at the top, South Africa will need to look at the young blood to fill his shoes. Having played only 20 innings, right-handed Reeza Hendricks has an average of 27.95 and a strike rate of 124.22, he seems like the obvious batsman to join De Kock at the top. Rassie van der Dussen would probably come in at 3, with immense pressure on him replacing AB de Villiers. It will be interesting to see how he plays Khaleel Ahmed Krunal Pandya, if he is in the playing XI.

David Miller, the most prominent face among the South African squad, will definitely find a place in the playing XI, most probably at position 4. With his ability to hit out of the park and his experience playing with and against Indian players, he is a very significant player to watch out for. Miller's big-hitting and middle-order stabilization will decide South Africa's total or the team's ability to chase big totals. Right-hand batsman Temba Bavuma will probably follow David Miller and will be responsible for anchoring and finishing the innings with his co-batsman.

All-rounders Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius will also be crucial to the team's performance as their dual ability will be much required to restrict India. The bowling unit consists of two very familiar faces, the dangerous pacer, Kagiso Rabada and surprise spin element Tabraiz Shamsi. It is no doubt that these two bowlers will bring their A-game to topple the Indian batting line-up. The remaining two spots would be filled by any of the new faces, including Beuran Hendricks with his left-arm fast bowling, Junior Dala with his bowling average of 21.69 and Bjorn Fortuin with a good economy rate of 6.36.

Beuran Hendricks (L), Junior Dala (C), Bjorn Fortuin (R): Will these three inexperienced bowlers deliver with the ball?

With South Africa bringing in some new names, India will have to be on their toes and adapt quickly to the new players in order to overwhelm their opposition. South Africa, on the other hand, need to deliver with the bat, ball and with their fielding to enjoy a comprehensive victory over India.

The toss will be crucial, with whoever winning the toss likely to chase. With the pitch having slowed down over time and becoming batsman-friendly, totals as high as 211 have been chased down on this ground. Whichever team bats first, will look to put as many runs on the board as possible, as the first innings total averages a whopping 184. The second innings might see the pitch slowing down, and the team chasing must be careful and should pace their innings without losing many wickets.

Will Kohli be able to find the right team combination to seal a victory or will De Kock gather his mixed troop of experience and inexperience, and surprise the Indians with a victory?

Head To Head: Matches Played - 13; India - 8, South Africa - 5

Venue: IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, India

Time: 7:00 PM IST, September 18, 2019 (Wednesday)

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