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India
South Africa
India will enter the 2nd ODI at Raipur 1-0 up and will look to seal the series early. South Africa will aim to bounce back and level 1-1. The venue has hosted only one ODI before. Both captains will likely prefer chasing. Toss winners will choose to bowl first and use the dew and evening conditions to their advantage.
Indiaβs head-to-head edge will boost confidence. They have won 5 of the last 6 ODIs against South Africa. In the last 5 matches, India have won 4 and lost once. Three of these wins have come while defending totals.
South Africa will count on their top order firepower to set up a competitive chase if they bat second. India will know that early wickets will decide South Africaβs intent and momentum. Expect a total of 270-300 to be par if India bat first and a chase-friendly finish under lights.
Indiaβs opening pair will dominate in home powerplay conditions. Rohit Sharma will arrive with 50+ scores in three straight ODIs, making a 60-90+ stand very realistic.
The betting tip is...
Highest Opening Partnership - India
72 %
28 %
IndiaSouth AfricaVirat Kohli will be the key batter again. He will build on his 135 off 120 balls that pushed India to 349/8 in the first ODI win. The bowling attack will look to improve under pressure as the group still grows into their new roles.
Rohit Sharma will provide stability at the top. He will carry excellent form, scoring 50+ in each of his last 3 ODIs. Over the last 10 ODIs, Rohit averages close to 50, while Kohli averages a little higher at around 60. Ruturaj Gaikwad and KL Rahul will shape the middle phase. Rahul will also have a finishing role after his 60 off 56 in the 1st ODI.
Kuldeep Yadav will lead spin again and will rely on his control, highlighted by 4 wickets in the last match. Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh will attack the top order with seam, while Prasidh Krishna will bowl key middle overs despite occasional leaks.
Rohit, Kohli and Jaiswal are the key batters.
Predicted Lineup: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
South Africa showed a strong fightback. They will believe they can turn this around despite the 1-0 deficit. They will take positives from recovering from 11-3 to 332.
Quinton de Kock will lead the attack against Indiaβs bowlers. He already has 6 ODI hundreds vs India. Another big score will be in his sights. Aiden Markram will partner the momentum with a balance of intent and control.
Matthew Breetzke will be crucial in the middle overs after his 72 off 80 in the opener. He currently averages 68 in ODIs in 2025. Expect Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch to deliver key late-innings overs with both already scoring 50s and sharing 4 wickets earlier.
Markram, De Kock and Breetzke are the key batters.
Predicted Lineup: Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Ottneil Baartman.
India will push hard to seal the series 2-0 in the second ODI. The 1st ODI showed 680+ total runs, showing both sides' batting strengths. The pitch in Raipur will again help batting, especially in the second half with dew. South Africa will rely on Markram and de Kock for a stable start, but Indiaβs top order will likely control the powerplay and is in form already.
Jaiswal and Rohit will attack early and look to bat longer together. Kohli will anchor at No.3 after his 135 last game. Indiaβs top three will exploit the bounce early and dominate scoring in the first 15 overs.
An opening stand of 60-90 can be expected from Jaiswal & Rohit. Expect India to win the match on the basis of their strong batting performance across the match.
