Rain played spoilsport yet again and ruined India's chances of winning the second T20I of the series despite having put up a massive total on the board. Batting first, the Men in Blue set up a target of 181 for the South Africans to chase down before rain came to the fore.
Both the Indian openers - Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill - departed for ducks in this game. Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh did the bulk of the scoring, building a strong partnership with each other.
Gerald Coetzee was the most successful bowler for South Africa with three wickets. South Africa, when they walked out to bat, started well with Reeza Hendricks firing on all cylinders.
Aiden Markram and David Miller continued the momentum and in the end, the DLS method gave the Proteas the win. The three-match T20I series is now being led by South Africa 1-0 after the first game was washed out with a ball being bowled.
South Africa vs India Match Prediction, 14.12.2023
India, beaten by South Africa in the second T20I of the series owing to the DLS method, will strive to come back in the third and final match of the series on 14 December at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
The Wanderers’s pitch is known to help seam bowling more than spin; this means that both teams have an equal stake in it. India are akin to a wounded tiger now, as they are not used to losing games, especially in this format of the game.
They will be fearsome and more threatening to the South Africans in the third T20I now. The home team will have to be aware of the threat posed to them by the Indian batters, who have the tendency to start slow but accelerate as the innings progresses.
South Africa will rely heavily upon skipper Aiden Markram and big-hitting middle order batsman David Miller.
Probable Playing XIs
India: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rinku Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee.
Key Players
Rinku Singh: Late-order batsman Rinku Singh, who plies his trade for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and represents Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket, has been one of the finds for India this year. He has moulded himself into one of the finest finishers in the game and showcased his wares in the second game of the series as well.
David Miller: If India have Rinku Singh, South Africa have perhaps the greatest finishers that the world has seen in this format of the game- David Miller. Miller is known to not take to opposition bowlers nicely and can wreak havoc upon any team if he is in the right mood. Miller's long reach makes him a highly fearsome batsman to bowl to.
Match Prediction
Although South Africa won the second match after rain had the final say in the first, India will be keen on avenging themselves. The Men in Blue may have to play out of their comfort zones given how challenging it can be for spinners to adapt to such conditions. However, India will back themselves to win this game given their superior bench strength. The visitors are expected to win this game.