India vs. South Africa, 2nd ODI: Squads, Match Odds, Betting Tips and Prediction
Having won the first one-day international of the series on Sunday, South Africa come into the second clash on a high at the Holkar Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
In truth, Sunday's victory was a surprise win for the South Africans, considering the hosts were in a commanding position at one point in the contest, needing just 35 runs from 24 balls. They simply couldn't close it out and were made to pay, losing by five runs.
Let's take a look ahead at the match odds and squads for the 2nd ODI.
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| Series Winner | India (6-5) | South Africa (15-8) | Draw (9-4) |
| 2nd ODI odds | India (10-11) | South Africa (17-6) |
India Squad
The India squad for the first three ODIs was announced back in September and consists of the following players:
| MS Dhoni | Shikhar Dhawan | Rohit Sharma | Virat Kohli |
| Ambati Rayudu | Suresh Raina | Ajinkya Rahane | Stuart Binny |
| Harbhajan Singh | Axar Patel | Gurkeerat Singh Mann | Amit Mishra |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Mohit Sharma | Umesh Yadav |
As reported by Agence France-Presse (via Sports.ndtv), an injury to Ravichandran Ashwin has seen him pick up a side strain, so he has been replaced by Harbhajan Singh.
What's more, one of their most legendary stars, MS Dhoni, is facing criticism over his ability as a batsman, as reported by the Dwaipayan Datta of the Times of India: "These days, his hand-eye coordination is on the wane, and that's taking a toll on his big-hitting abilities, especially against deliveries that are close to his body at a lively pace."
All eyes will no doubt be on India's response to Sunday's loss, especially after Rohit Sharma's rousing words in the aftermath, in which he stated their desire to be the world's best team, per PTI (via the Indian Express):
"If we want to be the No. 1 team we cannot commit these kinds of mistakes. I hope we won’t keep repeating the same mistakes, that’s what a champion side doesn’t do. We all are mature enough to go handle such situations.
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South Africa Squad
Much like India, the Proteas released their squad list toward the end of September, so both teams have known for some time now precisely who they would be up against. The list is as follows:
| AB de Villiers | Kyle Abbott | Hashim Amla | Farhaan Behardien |
| Quinton de Kock | JP Duminy | Faf du Plessis | Imaran Tahir |
| David Miller | Morne Morkel | Chris Morris | Aaron Phangiso |
| Kagiso Rabada | Rilee Rossouw | Dale Steyn |
There are no injury worries to speak of for the visitors, although AB de Villiers will have to be mindful after he was fined for a slow over rate, according to Cricket.com.
Key to yet another victory will be star man and captain De Villiers. So far, he has produced a number of crucial batting performances for his team since arriving in the country, something which has further highlighted the poor form of their counterparts. Not only was he the man of the match in the first ODI, but he recorded a superb 104-run onslaught as well as bettering two sixes records held by Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, according to Sports.ndtv.
It's difficult to see exactly how the Men in Blue plan on shutting him down. Indeed, Zee News summarised India's challenge—and AB's dominance—perfectly here: "Leaving R Ashwin aside, no other Indian bowler has managed to trouble the batsman. The way he is milking away the Indian bowlers is an indicator that Team India have to come out with a full-proof plan against the gifted player."
Prediction and Betting Tips
If India are to turn the tables in this series, they will need to work on their collective mindset. A lack of a winning edge cost them dearly in the first ODI with victory in their grasp, so they need to front up at key moment, because this squad is a talented bunch—make no mistake.
This is a five-part series, so there is time to turn things around, but it's hard to have confidence in India with short odds at 6-5. Simply put, banking on them now would be foolish.
As for South Africa, they can be thankful that the Indians imploded the last time out but can also take solace from the way they didn't let the opportunity slip through their fingers. Expecting another present would be naive, but at 15-8, it's clear they can get another result and should be backed.
With India in total disarray, it looks like another away win for South Africa. Bet on them all the way.
Odds via Oddschecker.
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