🏏South Africa Tour of India - 2nd T20I - Guwahati - 02/10/2022 🏏

🏏South Africa Tour of India - 2nd T20I - Guwahati - 02/10/2022 at 7:00PM IST🏏

With Bumrah injury at the back of mind, India look to seal the series

South Africa will want their top order to bounce back from the horrors of Thiruvananthapuram

Keep aside India-South Africa. What's the deal with Jasprit Bumrah?

With two-thirds of this series still to be played, it's fair to assume that this is the sentiment prevailing among most of India's cricket-consuming public. You can't blame them, because a: it's Jasprit Bumrah, b: there's a World Cup around the corner, and c: information about his injury has been scant and shrouded in a noirish fog.

Dravid still awaiting official confirmation of the extent of Bumrah's injury

Bowling riches leave South Africa with good headache ahead of T20 World Cup

But two T20Is still remain, for both India and South Africa, before that World Cup. India will want to prepare for the possibility of a global tournament without Bumrah. They'll want to give Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik time in the middle, a commodity they haven't had much of over recent weeks.

South Africa will want their top order to bounce back from the horrors of Thiruvananthapuram. They'll also look to explore and fine-tune the myriad bowling combinations they could pick on any given day.

If India win Sunday night's game in Guwahati, they will wrap up a T20I series victory against South Africa at home for the first time in four attempts. South Africa will want to prevent that, and maintain their impressive record in this country.

There is, therefore, still a lot to play for, even if your attention is elsewhere.

Weather Forecast and Pitch Report:

According to reports from weather.com, the temperature of Guwahati city of India on October (Sunday) will be 35° Celcius during the day and fall to 26° Celcius at night. The sky is expected to witness thunderstorms in the afternoon.

The chances of rain are 41% during the day and 80% at night. Hence, the IND vs SA 2nd T20I might be affected by rains. The humidity will be 69% during the day and rise to 26% at night. Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati is a low-scoring ground in T20Is.

The average 1st innings total at the stadium in T20Is is 127 while the average 2nd innings total is 118. The stadium has witnessed 5 T20I games so far. The highest total ever recorded at the stadium is 160/4.

Pitch and conditions:

"It was hot yesterday at practice, man. It was really hot," was India coach Rahul Dravid's first reaction to being asked about the conditions during his pre-match press conference. "We're lucky the game is in the evening."

Lucky, yes, because a maximum of 36 degrees Celsius is forecast for Sunday. But maybe not so lucky, since rain is also expected - with a greater likelihood after 7pm.

The last T20I at this venue, in 2020, was rained off without a ball bowled, and the one before that - the first at this stadium - was both low-scoring and one-sided, Australia romping home with 27 balls remaining after bowling India out for 118.

Dravid suggested the pitch for Sunday's game "looks a good wicket", while Wayne Parnell, the South Africa allrounder, hadn't had the chance to have a close look before his press conference. "This wicket, from what I've seen from the dressing room, looks about 22 yards," he said with the straightest of faces. "It looks slightly brown as well, from what I could see."

Team News:

India

The hosts have added Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj to the squad should they need to bolster their bowling with experience. But they are unlikely to do so.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Axar Patel, R. Ashwin, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh

South Africa

The Proteas are unlikely to be forced into a knee-jerk reaction despite the Trivandrum reversal but they do have the option for an extra quick in Lungi Ngidi for one of their two left-arm spinners.

Probable XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi

Did you know?

- Victory in Guwahati will mean India would have won 8 of the 9 bilateral T20I series they've contest since last year's T20 World Cup

- South Africa hasn't lost a T20I series in India

- Quinton de Kock's PowerPlay impact in T20s post IPL 2022 has declined significantly. He's scored only 157 runs from 19 innings at an average of 14.27 and 103.29 SR before the start of the series. He lasted all of 4 balls in Trivandrum and managed just 1.

In the spotlight

He has been one of the standout fast bowlers in the IPL over its last two seasons, but Harshal Patel's time in an India shirt hasn't been quite as fulfilling just yet. He has just come off a rib injury and a difficult series on unforgivingly flat pitches against Australia, so his recent, lean-ish patch may not be a major cause for concern, but India will hope he'll find his best rhythm soon, because there's always significantly more pressure on the other quicks when Bumrah isn't around.

Tabraiz Shamsi is ranked No. 2 among T20I bowlers, but India's batters haven't seemed to know this when they've faced him. In five matches in and against India this year, Shamsi has taken just one wicket (average 129.00) while conceding upwards of ten runs an over. The thing about his left-arm wristspin is that a big wicket haul always seems to be around the corner. Could Sunday be his day?

Stats and trivia

South Africa (1.25) are the only team to have managed a positive win-loss ratio in T20Is against India in India.

David Miller (1903 runs) needs 32 runs to go past JP Duminy and become South Africa's most prolific run-getter in T20Is. Quinton de Kock (1895) isn't far behind either.

Suryakumar Yadav is 24 runs away from completing 1000 runs in T20Is. If he gets there in Guwahati, he will become the third-fastest Indian to the mark (31 innings). Virat Kohli (27) and KL Rahul (29) are the quickest Indians to 1000 runs.

Thank you for the tag. I am watching football matches today 👍🏼

Quotes

"I think Harshal's a really mentally strong cricketer. He's a fantastic cricketer, and if you just look at his performances over the last two years, they've been absolutely phenomenal for the franchise that he plays in. Even in international cricket for us, he's bowled some really good spells. He's preparing really well, he's practising really hard. It can happen. He's also come off a little bit of an injury, and it takes a little bit of time to get used to it, but I thought he bowled a phenomenal last over against Australia in Hyderabad. Even the last over against South Africa at Trivandrum. At both Hyderabad and Trivandrum, he bowled fantastic last overs. I think eight [seven] runs and seven [six] runs, and he got Tim David's wicket, and in a tight game, in a close game, that can make a big difference."

Rahul Dravid isn't worried about Harshal Patel's form

"I think personally, from what I've watched over the last couple of months, I think he is probably one of the best T20 batters at the moment. He scores 360 [degrees], which is very difficult for bowlers to try and defend. I think it's just about being strong and taking each ball as it comes. I think the other night [in Thiruvananthapuram], he played some really, really beautiful shots but he was also lucky here and there, and maybe on a different night that goes to hand, but having said that he's certainly been a guy that I've really enjoyed watching over the last couple of months, he's certainly playing really, really good cricket."

Wayne Parnell is effusive in his praise for Suryakumar Yadav

Thank you, Raji, for the thread and for tagging me. 🤗

India may be sitting comfortably on a 1-0 lead but between the long journey across the diagonal from Trivandrum to Guwahati, they've come face to face with the growing possibility that talisman Jasprit Bumrah might not be available for the World Cup, or at least for parts of it. 

Disappointing as the news of the injury might be, India has had a taste of what it is to play without their pace ace. Bumrah has featured in only 5 of the 33 T20Is India has played since the last T20 World Cup.