India face South Africa in second ODI today

DURBAN: India will face South Africa in the second ODI today to stay alive in the three-match series.

India need a win to equal the series while a defeat would see them lose the ODI series on the back of their Test series defeat.

Spinners are not being able to pick up wickets in the middle-overs and the middle-order not being able build on the start provided by the top three have been two of the main reasons behind most of India’s defeats in ODIs since the 2019 World Cup.

India’s bowlers were not up to the mark in the middle-overs on a surface that wasn’t ideal for strokeplay, allowing South Africa to post 296 batting first in the first ODI in Paarl.

In reply, the visitors fell short by 31 runs despite a solid stand for the second-wicket between Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan.