Gqeberha weather forecast today: What are the chances of rain during the India vs South Africa 2nd ODI?
India will look to wrap up the ODI series when they square off against South Africa in the second game in Gqeberha on Tuesday. The Men in Blue are currently 1-0 up in the three-match series after thrashing the hosts by eight wickets in the first ODI.
India produced a scintillating display of fast bowling to bowl out the Proteas for a mere 116 in Johannesburg. Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan ran riot, chipping in with five and four scalps, respectively. Left-arm leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav picked up the other wicket.
In response, debutant Sai Sudharsan smashed an unbeaten half-century to help the visitors get over the line in just 16.4 overs. Shreyas Iyer also chipped in 52 off 45 balls as India took the lead in the three-match affair.
The Men in Blue will look to keep the winning momentum going, while South Africa will aim to bounce back to keep the series alive. The hosts need to come out firing as a unit in a bid to beat their opponents in Gqeberha.
The last time St George's Park hosted a game, rain played spoilsport. Thus, all eyes are on how the weather will pan out on Tuesday during the second ODI. According to Accuweather, there is no chance of precipitation throughout the game.
The temperature is expected to hover between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius. However, the actual feeling is likely to be two to three degrees below, with the winds blowing at 17 km/hr.
"Rinku will come in" - Aakash Chopra on India's playing XI for 2nd ODI vs SA
Former batter Aakash Chopra feels India will make only one forced change to their playing XI for the second ODI. Shreyas Iyer, who scored a brilliant half-century in the opening game, will not be part of the remaining series. He has been pulled out to prepare for the two-match Test series against South Africa.
Chopra feels Rinku Singh will slot in place of Shreyas in the playing XI. He said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel:
"Shreyas Iyer is not available for this match. So I am seeing only one change in the Indian team. It is a very simple change. Rinku will come in. So Rinku, Sanju (Samson), KL (Rahul), Sai Sudharsan, Ruturaj Gaikwad - a batting lineup like this will be seen."
Who should replace Shreyas Iyer in the playing XI? Let us know in the comment section.