India vs South Africa, 2nd Test – Match Preview

India was stunned in the opening Test match by 30 runs by the Proteas after the opener was played on a tricky pitch at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Head coach Gautam Gambhir also sparked a controversy when he said they wanted exactly this kind of a surface, and there were no demons in the track.

More importantly, India would need to bounce back on the field. First and foremost, the blame game and criticism should take a backseat, and there is no doubt that 124 runs should have been chased down.

Ergo, the batters would be under scrutiny after they were skittled out for 93 runs in the second innings. Furthermore, Shubman Gill is likely to be ruled out with a neck spasm.

It would be interesting to note India’s playing combination as four spinners in the series opener was a strange tactic, and the hosts must go back to backing specialist six batters. Moreover, there would be pressure on the curator and India would definitely hold a better chance on a pitch, which would go the distance.

Meanwhile, South Africa was able to punch above their weight. Marco Jansen, Temba Bavuma, and Simon Harmer played a key role in the opening Test win, and the Proteas would aim for their first series win on Indian soil since 1990. Moreover, the visitors have added Lungi Ngidi to their squad as cover for Kagiso Rabada.

Head to Head: Matches: 45, Won by South Africa: 19, Won by India: 16, Drawn: 10

South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Lungi Ngidi.

India Test squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK) (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep