SA vs IND 2018, 2nd Test, Centurion - Match Prediction

Before speaking about the match prediction of the second Test which is scheduled to begin on January 13 (Saturday) in Centurion, Virat Kohli and Co. were humbled by South Africa in the three-match Test series opener at Newlands in Cape Town by 72 runs.

To be precise, the penultimate day saw bowlers claiming 18 wickets in which local-boy and the protagonist Vernon Philander bagging career-best of six for 42 in 15.4 overs that eventually saw him bagging nine wickets in the match.

It’s a must-win game for India to keep the series alive after participating in the enticing first Test which saw bowlers ruling the roost.

Homerun:

However, on the other side, South Africa would be aiming to seal the series in Centurion – a 22-yard which is expected to extract extra bounce and again fast bowlers are going to get something from the surface.

Interestingly, there has been a similar problem between both the teams when it came to the batting collapses in the first Test in Cape Town expect a few individuals performances throughout the game.

Hard work and expectations:

India would like to repeat what they did back home, and the overseas conditions have always challenged the side.

Adamant in approach, top-order batsman from India would want to come good, as South Africa would be equally good at the task against well-balanced bowling line-up from the subcontinent. Moreover, the visitors have sweated it out in nets and have further opted for the throwdowns to keep themselves up and ready for the challenge.

Kohli banking on strength:

Batting mainstay Virat Kohli would be aiming to click this time around after scoring just 33 in both the innings of the Cape Town Test which saw Hardik Pandya playing a brilliant role to score 95-ball 93 in first innings.

India was in dire straits until all-rounder Pandya knitted a crucial 99-run partnership with Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the eighth wicket, as they would have had taken a leaf of why the top-order failed to score early on.

Even-stevens:

Talking about both competitive units, the Proteas have definitely an edge of familiar conditions, but they dealt a severe blow in the form of premium Dale Steyn, who injured his heel following the tissue damage. The young-promising bowler Lungi Ngidi and Duanne Olivier are looking forward to trying their luck in the playing XI, and both would be eyeing to bowl alongside Philander, Morne Morkel, and Kagiso Rabada, who have been Faf du Plessis favourite.

For India, a couple of changes would highly-likely see Ajinkya Rahane, who has been a strong force to reckon when it comes to the away games.

Match Prediction:

When the two top-class teams are facing-off each other, we are bound to witness the rush of adrenaline, power-packed performances, and even star players have had experienced the occasional blips like what unfolded at the Newlands for Kohli and the Proteas Hashim Amla.

India would be yearning to see their seniors stepping up and doing their bit, and the openers are bound to play their role on a surface which is expected to help the pace bowlers with middle-order shouldering the responsibility, and that would remain a key-battle.

Coming to the result of the penultimate Test, to completely rule out the visitors would be a big mistake, and the bowlers have delivered according to the plan, and they would want to replicate much better performance in Centurion while expecting batters putting up a big total.

It’s going to be another riveting Test match and the team winning the toss would like to bat first even knowing the surface has been traditionally favouring the bowlers because the fourth innings is always playing on the minds of skippers when it comes to the tricky surfaces.

Even though expecting to be a close Test match, we expected the Proteas sealing the series, but the visitors are going to make things difficult for the Faf du Plessis-led side which has been struggling to click with the batting options.

With teams settling into batting and bowling combination, the self-confidence would be important for the players to face the challenge of the strongly-based opposition. As Team India had somewhat vowed to rectify the mistakes and the visitors are better known for delivering as a top-quality team and gleefully, I hope they prove me wrong with the all-round performance.

Follow India’s South Africa Tour: South Africa Vs India, 2018