When the Indian team takes on South Africa in the second ODI of the three-match series on Tuesday, they will have to face the challenge of debuting either the highly talented Rajat Patidar or the exciting batsman Rinku Singh. The Indian team had no trouble winning the first match of the series by eight wickets thanks to the brilliant performances of young fast bowlers like Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan.
The Indian team led by skipper Lokesh Rahul suffered a crushing 0-3 defeat in the ODI series in 2022, so they will want to put the previous failure behind them by winning this match.
Veteran batsman Shreyas Iyer joined the Test team after this match, leaving a gap in the middle order. Rinku has impressed with her batting in recent times. He has left an impression of his technique and intelligence in T20 matches at the international level. His batting looked comfortable even on the bouncy South African pitches.
However, his role in the team is that of a finisher at present, so Patidar’s case for a place in the eleven instead of fourth-ranked batsman Iyer is stronger as he bats in the same order for Madhya Pradesh in domestic matches. Patidar managed to make a place in the Indian ODI team in 2022 as well but did not get a chance in the playing eleven. After this, he struggled for a year due to heel surgery.
The team has given the role of match finisher to veteran Sanju Samson in this series, who will bat at number six behind Rahul. Rinku averages around 50 in List A cricket, so the team management will seriously consider both names.
Both Patidar and Rinku could get a chance to make their debuts in this match, but that would require either Tilak Verma or Samson to be ruled out, which seems unlikely. In the first match, Tilak got a chance to play only three balls while Samson did not get a chance to bat.
In the first match, young opener Sai Sudarshan proved his talent by scoring an unbeaten half-century. After the retirement of veteran Quinton de Kock, the challenge for South Africa is to harmonize the team. De Kock’s fluid batting allowed batsmen like Rassie van der Dusen, Henrik Klaassen and David Miller to play freely. In his absence, the team’s top order will face the challenge of batting cautiously against India’s swing bowlers.
However, the Indian team will not prefer to make any changes in bowling. The South African batsmen looked helpless against Arshdeep and Avesh but Mukesh Kumar made some breakthrough in this match with 46 runs in seven overs.
If the team management wants to experiment, it can replace Mukesh with his Bengal teammate Akash Deep. The team will try to win the series, so its chances are slim. Akshar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are likely to remain in the spin department. His alternatives Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal will have to wait for the opportunity. The match will start at 4.30 PM IST.
Teams:
India: Lokesh Rahul (captain and wicketkeeper), Ruturaj Gaekwad, B Sai Sudarshan, Tilak Verma, Rajat Patidar, Sanju Samson, Akshar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Rinku Singh, Akash Deep, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington beautiful.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (capt), Otniel Baartman, Andre Berger, Tony De Georgie, Rizzy Hendricks, Henrik Klaassen, Keshav Maharaj, Mihalali Mapongwana, David Miller, Wian Mulder, Andile Fehlukwayo, Tabrez Shamsi, Rasi Dussen, Vanil, Vereen, Lizard Williams.