South Africa v India 2nd test preview & best odds | January 3-7

South Africa v India 2nd Test preview

South Africa will be looking to close out a series victory against India when the teams square off at Newlands in the final test of their two-test series.

In the first Test, South Africa outclassed India, capitalising on home advantage. Despite KL Rahul’s century for India, Kagiso Rabada’s 5/59 and Dean Elgar’s masterful innings propelled South Africa to 9/408. India faltered in their second innings, collapsing for 131 with debutant Nandre Burger taking 4/33.

The home side faces at least two changes for the 2nd Test, with Temba Bavuma and Gerald Coetzee ruled out due to hamstring and shoulder injuries, respectively. The spin-friendly Cape Town wicket makes room for a potential inclusion of Keshav Maharaj. Lungi Ngidi’s fitness is proven, providing an option for the bowling lineup. Despite Zubayr Hamza’s addition as a specialist bat, the likely move is to slide Marco Jansen to No. 7 and introduce an extra bowler in place of Bavuma.

Despite evident batting issues in the first Test, the Indian top six appears relatively settled. With the exits of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, the team seems committed to retaining Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer in the three and five positions, respectively. The only potentially flexible spot is Rohit Sharma’s opening partner.

India is expected to reintroduce Ravindra Jadeja as the second spinner, considering the spin-friendly nature of the Cape Town surface. Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and Prasidh Krishna are likely to maintain their positions in the bowling lineup.

South Africa v India 1st Test top tips & odds

South Africa v India betting tips

We anticipate India making a comeback to level the series 1-1 with a win in Cape Town. According to reports, the pitch is expected to be more spin-friendly, providing an opportunity for India to excel both with the bat and the ball. The pairing of Ravichandran Ashwin and Jadeja as spinners gives India a significant edge over South Africa in this aspect, and they are poised to capitalise on it.

If the pitch is going to be conducive to spin, South Africa’s Kyle Verreynne has shown his ability to adapt to the turning ball during his brief test career. The wicketkeeper was able to keep Nathan Lyon at bay when South Africa toured Australia in 2022/23, and despite managing just four runs in South Africa’s first dig at Centurion, Verreynne was in fine form in domestic cricket prior to the first test, with two centuries from his last five innings. If Ashwin and Jadeja are to play a key role, Verreynne will give us a great run for our money at a nice price with cricket betting sites.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma will be looking to lead from the front at Cape Town following a horrific first test with the bat. The opener managed scores of 5 & 0 and found the pace of Kagiso Rabada too difficult to handle in his first red-ball match since June. With the “run” under his belt and his team needing the skipper to be at his best if they are to level the series, we’re confident Rohit Sharma will bounce back with a big score in the second test paying +380 to lead the runscoring with the top online sportsbooks.

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