🏏South Africa tour of India 2025: India vs SA - 2nd ODI🏏

🏏South Africa tour of India 2025: India vs SA - 2nd ODI at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur on 03/12/2025 at 1:30 PM IST🏏

South Africa hope to cross the line in Raipur after Ranchi thriller

India will eye a series win and may not want to tinker much with their XI after a close match

There is a reason why ODIs are a format after India's heart. Why, at a time when ODIs fight for relevance outside the World Cup, do Indians still sell out stadiums to watch their team in action? It doesn't demand as much devotion as Tests do, but still provides enough time and certainty for their heroes to showcase their skill and fitness. And when two of the greatest of all time, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, find the form they did during the first ODI between against South Africa, it's all the more reason for a three-match series to be frenzied.

While ODIs are less reliant on luck than T20Is, the first ODI was also an example of how much heavy lifting the side losing the toss has to do. Despite all the pedigree they have, India came within a couple of connected full tosses of possibly losing to a side that has been chopping and changing, and has played 37 players in this year alone.

This time, you'd hope Raipur gives us a closer contest than the Ranchi thriller. Not least because if India are on the dealing end of a one-sided game, the series will then have to feature a dead-rubber in Visakhapatnam.

Team News

India: The hosts will likely stick to the same combination and that means another opportunity for Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad. It will be interesting to see if they stick to using Washington Sundar at 5 or swap slots with Ravindra Jadeja.

Probable XI: Yashavi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul (C & WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna

South Africa: For the visitors, Temba Bavuma should be back after being rested for the first game. Ryan Rickelton will be expected to make way with Quinton de Kock returning to the top of the order. Keshav Maharaj could come in for Prenelan Subrayen.

Probable XI: Quinton de Kock (WK), Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (C), Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Ottneil Baartman

In the spotlight: Harshit Rana and Nandre Burger

India had only a brief window of movement in Ranchi before the dew turned bowling into a nightmare. But Harshit Rana took two wickets in that small window to put India ahead. He has now shown that not only can he be effective in hitting the pitch hard with the old ball, but also with the new ball. Rana's next challenge might be taking the new ball in the afternoon, when it tends to do little.

Unlucky to not be a regular part of the Test set-up just yet, Nandre Burger took on that challenge in the afternoon in Ranchi, and came out with credit. He bowled at consistent high pace, and found a way to challenge the batters. If Burger can find a way to do even better, he will be a theme in the rest of the series.

Pitch and conditions

The India vs New Zealand match from 2023 remains Raipur's only day-night List A game, so there isn't much history to go by. But the endeavour generally is to not produce a pitch too loaded in favour of the bowlers. So that 108 all out of nearly three years ago will likely be an aberration more than the trend. The weather promises to be pleasant for cricket, with temperatures not likely to go higher than 27 degrees celcius or lower than 14.

Did you know:

- Rohit Sharma has made 335 runs in his last five ODI outings that includes a hundred and three half-centuries.

- Despite having a stellar record in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Ruturaj Gaikwad averages just 17.57 in ODI cricket so far.

What did they say:

"Nothing new, we have come across it. We have been on the bad end of it. But we have also had good times against them. It all just makes the series a lot more exciting" - Temba Bavuma on facing Rohit and Kohli.

IND vs SA: Head-to-Head Record in ODIs

Matches Played 95

Won by IND 41

Won by SA 51

No Result / Tied 3

First-ever fixture 10 November 1991 (IND Won)

Most-recent fixture 30 November 2025 (IND Won)

IND vs SA Probable Top Performers of the match

Probable Best Batter - Virat Kohli

Star batter Virat Kohli's impressive form continued as he once again took the hosts to victory with his batting performance. In the opener, his record 52nd ODI ton, 135 off 120 deliveries, laced with 11 boundaries and seven sixes, saw him form a valuable stand with Rohit Sharma. His knock, along with contributions from other batters, saw the Men in Blue post 349/8 in their allotted 50 overs and eventually came out victorious by 17 runs. As the series moves to Raipur, Kohli will once again hope his batting does all the damage.

Probable Best Bowler - Arshdeep Singh

Indian ace pacer Arshdeep Singh could be among the picks of the bowlers in the second ODI against South Africa. In the last game, Singh bagged two wickets in his quota of 10 overs and leaked 64 at an economy of 6.40. The youngster will once again look to exploit the conditions to his benefit in the next game.

Today's Match Prediction: Team bowling first to win the match

Disclaimer: The prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.

Raipur Weather Report

Temperatures during the match will range from 26°C in the morning to 29°C in the afternoon, before dropping to around 12°C by evening, making for a chilly end to the day. As in much of India, the air quality index (AQI) is forecast to be in the “poor” category. Cloud cover will remain around 39% throughout, with no rain predicted for Wednesday.

Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium Pitch Report

The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur is India’s third-largest cricket ground, behind only Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium and Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. While its long square boundaries could make clearing the ropes challenging, the fast outfield — similar to the one in Ranchi — might help offset that difficulty by speeding up ground strokes.

Raipur, hosting its first international match in three years, is expected to offer a sporting wicket that provides a fair contest between bat and ball. Historically, the pitch here has favoured fast bowlers more than spinners.