SA vs IND Prediction- Who Will Win the Match Between South Africa and India, South Africa vs India 2022, 1st ODI

Updated - 19 Jan 2022, 10:43 AM

India National Cricket Team. Image Credits: ICC

Table of Contents

India began the South Africa Tour with a heart-warming win in the first Test in Centurion. However, what followed was two consecutive defeats in the second and third Test.

And with that, their hopes of winning a series in South Africa came to an end. Nevertheless, that series is a now thing of the past and the focus must shift to the upcoming three-match ODI series.

The last time India played an ODI series in South Africa was back in 2018. India crushed South Africa in that series, beating them by a margin of 5-1. Virat Kohli led that team and wreaked havoc with the bat. This time though, he won’t be leading the series but remains an integral part of the batting unit. He hasn’t scored a century for the last two years and one hopes that century-drought comes to an end in the upcoming series.

Rohit Sharma is India’s new skipper in white-ball cricket. However, with him recovering from the hamstring injury, KL Rahul will lead the side in the upcoming ODIs, while Jasprit Bumrah will assume the vice-captain duties.

India vs South Africa (Image Credit: Twitter)

KL Rahul has batted exceedingly well in the middle-order in ODIs in the last couple of years. However, with Rohit Sharma not in the mix, he could open the innings alongside Shikhar Dhawan.

India, however, could give a chance to Ruturaj Gaikwad to show his batting class in overseas conditions. Also, it will be interesting to see how many bowlers they play with. There is no part-time option and that might tempt India to go with 6 bowling options.

One can expect both Venkatesh Iyer and Shardul Thakur to be part of the playing XI. There is a great possibility that both Chahal and Ashwin make it into the playing XI. However, if there is a toss-up between the two, Chahal should get the nod ahead of Ashwin.

Facing them are South Africa, which would be brimming with confidence. They are coming into the series on the back of a 2-1 win in the Test series. In the white-ball format, Temba Bavuma leads the South Africa team, while the former skipper, Quinton de Kock will also make his comeback into the series.

The ODI series will see some different faces for the South African team. Janneman Malan will be a player to watch out for. He has made a rollicking start to his ODI career.

In just 11 ODIs, he has managed to score more than 600 runs at an average of over 80. Besides, the presence of all-rounders such as Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius adds a lot more balance to their playing 11. The middle-order further consists of the likes of David Miller, Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram, etc.

Marco Jansen impressed one and all with his left-arm pace in the Test series. He finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the series. He is likely to be part of South Africa’s playing XI for the first ODI.

The fast bowling unit, besides, also has the likes of regular names such as Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi.