India will be hoping to level the 3-match ODI series when they take on hosts South Africa in the 2nd match at the Boland Park in Paarl on Friday, January 21. The hosts were in dominant form as they outclassed KL Rahul’s men in the ODI series opener by 31 runs in Paarl on Thursday.

Rahul was at best mediocre in terms of “on-your-feet-thinking”, something that’s basic to art of captaincy, and also didn’t look the part with the bat in a deflating 31-run defeat in the opening ODI where India were outplayed for the better part of the game.

Also Read: South Africa vs India, 2nd ODI Predicted Playing XI

The middle-order, which had been a problem since Virat Kohli’s heady days as captain, is still sticking out like a sore thumb and no one knows what exactly the solution is.

Once again, it was a case of one opener — Shikhar Dhawan on this occasion — and the indomitable Kohli holding fort before the middle-order caved in on a slower pitch where there was turn and the ball gripped, making a run-of-the-mill seamer Andile Phehlukwayo look formidable.

South Africa crushed India both strategically as well as on skills and therein lay serious questions about Rahul’s wares as captain.

India will be hoping to put on a better show and the good news is the weather gods are likely to be kind on Friday. There is 0 percent chance of precipitation on what promises to be a hot day in Paarl.

Weather Forecast for Janury 21 in Paarl, South Africa (Screengrab from AccuWeather)

According to AccuWeather, Friday will be hotter than Thursday. The morning and the afternoon will have sunshine with a humidity of over 35 percent. The temperature will hover around 40 degrees celsius throughout the day, providing perfect conditions for 100 overs of cricket.

Squads

India: KL Rahul (captain), Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj, Jayant Yadav, Navdeep Saini.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Keshav Maharaj, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Zubayr Hamza, Marco Jansen, Janneman Malan, Sisanda Magala, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne.