After a thumping win in the ODI series opener, Team India will look to make it 2-0 when they lock horns with South Africa on December 19 in the 2nd ODI of the series. The KL Rahul-led side were superb in the opening match of the series and South Africa were no match for the Men in Blue, who won the match without dropping a sweat. The comfortable victory has to be credited to the fast bowling duo of Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh, both of whom dealt body blows from which South Africa were never able to recover. Arshdeep finished with his maiden international fifer while Avesh got a four-fer and they wrecked the Proteas batting, skittling them out for a paltry 116. India vs South Africa 2nd ODI 2023 Preview: Likely Playing XIs, Key Players, H2H, and Other Things You Need To Know About IND vs SA Cricket Match in Gqeberha.

In response, it took India just 16.4 overs to wrap up the chase with debutant Sai Sudharsan and Shreyas Iyer hitting half-centuries. Given the dominant nature of India's win in the 1st ODI, it can be expected that there would be little to no change in the playing XI for the 2nd ODI. That of course, given the fact that everyone remains fit for selection. In that case, India might opt for the same playing XI.

Top-Order: Sudharsan sizzled on his debut and is set to retain his place in India's playing XI. His partner Ruturaj Gaikwad had a forgettable outing in the 1st ODI and the team management is likely to back him. Shreyas Iyer, as announced earlier, will miss this and the third ODI and in his place, Rajat Patidar is likely to come in.  India vs South Africa, 2nd ODI 2023, Gqeberha Weather Report: Check Out the Rain Forecast and Pitch Report at St George’s Park.

Middle-Order: Tilak Varma, captain KL Rahul and Sanju Samson will make up the middle-order for India in the 2nd ODI. The middle-order went untested in the first ODI and there's no reason why these players shall not make it to the playing XI for the second ODI. Out of these three, only Varma had an outing when he came out and faced three balls, scoring a run.

Spinners: Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are set to be India's spin duo once again. Axar was unused in the first ODI, given the terrific job done by the pacers while Kuldeep picked up the last South Africa wicket to finish off the first innings. Both are likely to have crucial roles in the 2nd ODI.

Fast Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan and also Mukesh Kumar will be India's pace bowling trio for the 2nd ODI as well. The Arshdeep-Avesh combo will look to haunt South Africa once again as the Proteas plan on countering the threat that they bring to the table.

India's Likely Playing XI vs South Africa for 2nd ODI:

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (c & wk), Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 19, 2023 12:06 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).