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

Thank you Raji for the thread and for tagging me.

Best wishes to our team.

Harshit Rana knows his only currency is consistent performance

Harshit Rana has already faced a level of scrutiny that many players encounter much later in their careers. From relentless social-media trolling to being labelled Gautam Gambhir’s “blue-eyed boy”, the young fast bowler has been at the centre of intense debate. Speaking on the eve of the third ODI between India and South Africa, Rana made it clear that he has no intention of letting online chatter dictate his cricket. His focus, he stressed, remains firmly on performance and improvement.

23 year-old Rana’s rapid rise into India’s setup across formats coincided with Gambhir’s tenure as head coach — a link that has sparked criticism from several quarters, including former chief selector and ex-India captain Kris Srikkanth. Srikkanth even suggested that Rana was picked for being a “yes man”, triggering a public and fiery exchange with Gambhir after the Delhi Test against the West Indies. Asked about this atmosphere of trolling and allegations, Rana remained calm and unmoved. “If I start listening to all these things and walk onto the ground with that pressure in my mind, I don’t think I will be able to play cricket,” he said, brushing aside the noise and reiterating that only his work on the field matters.

Bavuma's schoolboy memories of 'Hitman'

South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma admitted he hasn’t been immune to the wave of admiration sweeping across India for the ‘Ro-Ko’ pairing. Speaking on the eve of the second ODI at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium, he underlined how the vast experience of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma continues to shape India’s white-ball aura.

Asked about facing the celebrated duo once again, Bavuma, who sat out the Ranchi opener due to illness, said their presence inevitably “bolsters the team” and that the Proteas are hardly unfamiliar with the challenge they present. India’s 17-run win in the first ODI—powered by Kohli’s 52nd hundred and Rohit’s brisk 57—reinforced just how decisive they can be.

South Africa, buoyed by their 2-0 triumph in the Test series, entered the ODIs with confidence. But the early setback has reminded them that India, especially with Rohit and Kohli in rhythm, remains a formidable obstacle in their path.

READ FULL STORY

After Ranchi thriller, can India seal it in Raipur?

Bilateral ODIs may be losing their global significance, but try telling that to the Indian fans who fill stadiums to witness the final acts of two white-ball titans. India will aim to clinch the ODI series against South Africa with a win in the second match at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur on Wednesday.

The hosts lead 1–0 after a thrilling 17-run victory in Ranchi, where a packed stadium witnessed the drama unfold. Another roaring crowd of around 60,000 is expected for the Raipur showdown. The series has gained extra sparkle thanks to the form and presence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, affectionately dubbed ‘Ro-Ko’. Their match-winning centuries in India’s last two ODIs have not only excited fans but also quelled lingering doubts over whether the pair should feature in the 2027 ODI World Cup across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in October and November.

Praise for Jansen's rise as Proteas aim to level series

Bavuma reserved strong praise for rising all-rounder Marco Jansen, whose explosive 39-ball 70 nearly delivered South Africa an unlikely win in the opening ODI.

“I am sure Marco Jansen, in any one of the formats, will definitely be in a top 10,” Bavuma said, describing his contributions with bat and ball as “immense to our success.”

He credited Jansen’s rapid maturity despite his youth: “He is still a young guy… but he has had a lot of international cricket under his belt. He is only growing into his own and becoming a lot more comfortable under his skin.”

The Proteas captain also downplayed the significance of their defeat, noting how narrow the margin was.

“We were 17 runs short. The gap between the batting performances wasn’t a big one. India played well, their two stalwarts stood up, but we were not too far off,” Bavuma said.

With key players expected to return for the second ODI, South Africa believe they remain firmly in the contest. Bavuma’s steady confidence reflects a team that has absorbed early blows but remains convinced they possess enough depth — through performers like Jansen and the middle order — to challenge India and push the series into a decider.

Kohli–Rohit return adds edge as Bavuma welcomes familiar challenge

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma insists facing India with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is “nothing new”, but he admits their presence significantly strengthens the visitors.

Kohli’s 52nd ODI century and Rohit’s brisk 57 powered India to a 17-run win in the first ODI, putting them 1-0 ahead in the three-match series.

Bavuma, speaking ahead of South Africa’s training session in Raipur, acknowledged the duo’s undeniable impact.

“The inclusion of those two guys does bolster the team… these are two guys who have a lot of experience and a lot of skill,” he said.

The Proteas skipper recalled watching a young Rohit Sharma at the 2007 T20 World Cup while he was still in school, underlining the longevity of India’s senior pair.

“These guys have been around… world-class players,” he remarked. Bavuma asserted South Africa are not overwhelmed by their presence. “We’ve been on the bad end of it, but we’ve also had good times against them,” he said, adding that their involvement only makes the series “a lot more exciting.”

Bavuma, who missed the first ODI, also brushed aside any need to clarify head coach Shukri Conrad’s controversial “grovel” remark during the Test series, saying it was not a distraction.

A masterclass batting performance from Kohli, brisk fifties from Rohit and Rahul, a little cameo towards the end from Jadeja powered India to a formidable total in the first ODI. When the tourists lost their top three inside five overs, things looked bleak for them. But, they didn't give up and that's been their mantra this tour especially when put under pressure. Breetzke was involved in three half-century partnerships, Jansen played a blinder and Bosch recorded his maiden ODI fifty to keep them in the hunt. Dew was a factor that didn't help India but they held their nerve to register a 17-run win. The action shifts from Ranchi to Raipur and expect the Indian fans to turn up in large numbers, with most of the jersey numbers being 18 and 45. Hello everyone and a warm welcome to the second of the three ODIs between India and South Africa.

Thanks for the tag let's win the toss today

Pitch Report | Deep Dasgupta and Shaun Pollock: "We are right in the center, so it's 67m either side (square boundaries), straight down is 74m. From one end, it looks nice, dry and it looks like a good batting surface. On the other end, it's quite patchy. There are cracks and some dry spots, it looks a little bit uneven. You'll get some uneven bounce and you're going to get a two-paced surface. It isn't going to be as high-scoring as we saw in Ranchi. The other thing to be careful of is the reverse swing as it's quite abrasive. The other important thing is the dew as well, fair bit of dew and toss becomes that much more important. You definitely would want to chase."

The inexperienced players - Jaiswal, Ruturaj and Washington - didn't fire in the previous ODI. Washington bowled just 3 overs. Will the team management stick with the same combination? For South Africa, captain Temba Bavuma is expected to come back into the XI.

A masterclass batting performance from Kohli, brisk fifties from Rohit and Rahul, a little cameo towards the end from Jadeja powered India to a formidable total in the first ODI. When the tourists lost their top three inside five overs, things looked bleak for them. But, they didn't give up and that's been their mantra this tour especially when put under pressure. Breetzke was involved in three half-century partnerships, Jansen played a blinder and Bosch recorded his maiden ODI fifty to keep them in the hunt. Dew was a factor that didn't help India but they held their nerve to register a 17-run win. The action shifts from Ranchi to Raipur and expect the Indian fans to turn up in large numbers, most of them wearing jersey numbers being 18 and 45.