The Indian team will have redemption in mind when they lock horns in the 2nd and final Test match of the series, on January 3. Rohit Sharma and his men were humbled big time in Centurion where South Africa bagged a victory by a mammoth margin of an innings and 32 runs and they would have momentum and confidence on their side going ahead into the final Test. India dropped to sixth in the WTC 2023-25 points table after the defeat as well as a penalty for maintaining a slow over-rate. India vs South Africa 2nd Test 2023 Preview: Likely Playing XIs, Key Players, H2H, and Other Things You Need To Know About IND vs SA Cricket Match in Cape Town.

The top-order of the Indian team failed to make an impact in both innings of the Centurion Test. The pair of Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, which achieved some success in the West Indies, could not spend much time together at the crease in the first Test. The Shubman Gill experiment at number three has not worked for India so far with the youngster not able to do justice to his potential which has been seen in limited-overs cricket. Here's how India can line up in the second Test against Australia.

Top-Order: Skipper Rohit Sharma will continue to open the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. The Indian captain would be keen on batting with more responsibility. The young Jaiswal on the other hand, is new to such conditions and is likely to retain his place in the team despite his failure in Centurion. The team management is also likely to persist with Shubman Gill at three and the right-hander needs to justify the faith.

Middle-Order: Despite the overwhelming batting failure in Centurion, India's middle-order did not fare too poorly. Virat Kohli played crucial knocks in both the innings, his second-innings performance being the standout one. KL Rahul stood out as India's best batter in the first innings with a classy century and he will look to continue his form in Cape Town. Shreyas Iyer looked good in bits in the first innings during his partnership with Virat Kohli and it will be interesting to see how he carries on in the second Test. India vs South Africa, 2nd Test 2023, Cape Town Weather Report: Check Out the Rain Forecast and Pitch Report at Newlands.

All-Rounders: Ravindra Jadeja is likely to make a comeback to the playing XI and his role with the bat will be crucial should he make it to the playing XI. If India decide to retain Shardul Thakur, who was hit in the nets during training, then Ravichandran Ashwin might miss out.

Fast Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and either one of Mukesh Kumar and Prasidh Krishna will form India's playing XI for the second Test in Cape Town. The Indian pace attack could not make inroads into the Proteas batting consistently in Centurion and their performance will be key to India's success in Cape Town.

India's Likely Playing XI in 2nd Test vs South Africa:

Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja/Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna/Mukesh Kumar

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 02, 2024 04:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).