RSA vs IND 2nd Match Prediction

RSA vs IND Team Previews

South Africa

South Africa won the first Test inside three days and will be eager to match this dominance in the second match. They will be without two first-choice players, though. Captain Temba Bavuma and fast bowler Gerald Coetzee have been sidelined by injury.

South Africa will not replace Coetzee in the squad, but have called up batter Zubayr Hamza as cover for Bavuma. It will be interesting to see if Tristan Stubbs debuts or Hamza is recalled to the playing XI. The Proteas lacked a specialist spinner in Centurion - and Kesav Maharaj will probably come in for Coetzee.

Dean Elgar is going to captain the team in the absence of Bavuma. Elgar is retiring from international cricket after this series. He scored a big century in Centurion and, at Newlands, he would like to sign off in style with another big contribution to another important series win for his country.

With Bavuma sidelined and Elgar on his way out, focus will be on South Africa's relatively new-look batting department again. David Bedingham, Keegan Petersen, Kyle Verreynne and others can use this as an opportunity to show their individual and collective promise again.

India

India were largely outplayed in the first Test. Captain Rohit Sharma admitted they did not adapt quickly enough to conditions, circumstances and the challenge posed by the opposition. In Cape Town, they can take the lessons learnt in Centurion and look to implement swift and effective correction.

Like the Proteas, India have been depleted by injuries. They won't have Mohammed Shami. Avesh Khan has been added to the squad after impressing for India A against South Africa A in South Africa this month. It is possible Khan will come into the XI for Prasidh Krishna.

India will find it tough to fit Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja into the same XI, but one surmises they need to get Jadeja playing. Ashwin was relatively flat in the series opener. Jadeja has that proverbial x-factor with bat and ball - and is a livewire fielder.

KL Rahul was superb with the bat in Centurion. His century was arguably the best of his career. Sharma, Virat Kohli and other batters need to offer him stronger support. Conditions at Newlands in Cape Town might be less challenging for the batters than they were in Centurion.