Team India is all pumped up after creating history with a 113-run victory against South Africa in the first test, thereby becoming the first Asian side to win a Test match at Centurion. Virat Kohli led side would now be looking to wrap up the series as they travel to Johannesburg for their second Test of the three-match series with a 1-0 lead in their pocket. On the other hand, the South African team will be without their main wicket-keeper batsman, Quinton de Kock, who recently took retirement from Test cricket. Also, all eyes will be on the Indian middle-order batting, which has been struggling in the recent past. Meanwhile, K.L. Rahul was named as Indian captain for India vs South Africa ODI series.
Pitch and Conditions
Date- 03-January-2022
Venue/Stadium- The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Weather Forecast– Periods of clouds can be seen throughout the Test match. Therefore, we may have to face some interventions just like the last test.
Pitch conditions- The pitch will be generating some bounce along with a good covering of grass, therefore, favoring the fast bowlers.
According to the cloudy weather forecast, there may be some moisture in the wicket on the first day. Therefore, the team winning the toss would most likely bowl first. We may also see an all-out pace attack by the South Africans in this match.
When, Where, and How to Watch
When: 3rd -7th January 2022
Time: 1.30 p.m. IST, 8 a.m. GMT
Where: Star Sports network and Disney+Hotstar
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India vs South Africa Head to Head Records
| Total Matches | 40 |
| India Won | 15 |
| South Africa Won | 15 |
| Draw | 10 |
| Tied | 0 |
Top 3 highest runs scorer in India vs South Africa battle
| Rank | Name | Matches | Runs | Average | Best |
| 1 | Virat Kohli | 13 | 1128 | 56.40 | 254* |
| 2 | Ajinkya Rahane | 11 | 816 | 54.40 | 127 |
| 3 | Cheteshwar Pujara | 15 | 774 | 30.96 | 153 |
Top 3 highest wicket-takers in India vs South Africa battle
| Rank | Name | Matches | Wickets | Average | Best |
| 1 | Ravichandran Ashwin | 11 | 55 | 20.03 | 7-for 66 |
| 2 | Mohammed Shami | 09 | 42 | 19.47 | 5-for 28 |
| 3 | Kagiso Rabada | 10 | 31 | 26.25 | 4-for 42 |
Previous performances of both teams:
Team South Africa’s performance in the last three test matches
| Against | Date | Venue | Result | Team score | Opponent score | Highest Runs | Highest Wickets |
| India | 26-Dec-2021 | Centurion | Lose | 197/10 & 191/10 | 327/10 & 174/10 | K.l. Rahul- 127 & 23 | Mohammed Shami- 5/44 & 3/63 |
| West Indies | 18-June-2021 | Gros Islet | Win | 298/10 & 174/10 | 149/10 & 165/10 | Quinton de Kock- 96 & 0 | Keshav Maharaj- 2/47 and 5/36 |
| West Indies | 10-June-2021 | Gros Islet | Win | 322/10 | 162/10 & 97/10 | Quinton de Kock – 141* | Anrich Nortje- 4/35 & 3/46 |
Team India’s performance in the last three test matches.
| Against | Date | Venue | Result | Team score | Opponent score | Highest Runs | Highest Wickets |
| South Africa | 26-Dec-2021 | Centurion | Win | 327/10 & 174/10 | 197/10 & 191/10 | K.l. Rahul- 127 & 23 | Mohammed Shami- 5/44 & 3/63 |
| New Zealand | 03-Dec-2021 | Mumbai | Win | 325 & 276/7 | 62/10 & 167/10 | Mayank Agarwal- 150 & 62 | Ajaz Patel- 10/119 & 4/106 |
| New Zealand | 25-Nov-2021 | Kanpur | Draw | 345 & 234/7 | 296/10 & 165/9 | Shreyas Iyer- 105 & 65 | Tim Southee-5/69 & 3/75 |
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Previous Meeting Of India vs South Africa at Johannesburg
In the previous meeting here at Wanderers, Team India emerged victorious as they defeated South Africa by 67 runs. However, the South Africans had won the first two Test matches, therefore ending the series at 2-1.
Summary
India 1st innings – 187 (Kohli 54, Pujara 50, Rabada 3-39)
South Africa 1st innings – 194 (Amla 61, Philander 35, Bumrah 5-54, Bhuvneshwar 3-44)
India 2nd innings – 247 (Rahane 48, Kohli 41, Bhuvneshwar 33)
South Africa 2nd innings – 177 (Elgar 86*, Amla 52, Shami 5-28)
Fantasy Dream XI picks
Wicket-keeper: Rishabh Pant
Batters: Virat Kohli, Dean Elgar, Ajinkya Rahane, K.L. Rahul, and Temba Bavuma
All-rounders: Wiaan Mulder
Bowlers: Mohammed Shami, Kagiso Rabada, Jasprit Bumrah, and, Lungi Ngidi
Captain: Mohammed Shami
Vice-captain: Virat Kohli
Probable Playing XI
India Probable XI- K.L.Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, R Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
South Africa Probable XI- Dean Elgar (c), Aiden Markram, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Ryan Rickelton/Kyle Verreyene, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Duanne Olivier, Lungi Ngidi.
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Players to watch out for
Virat Kohli has now not scored a hundred two years in a row. Everyone is keen to see him score his 71st international century. Moreover, looked in great touch in the previous match before throwing his wicket away chasing balls far outside off-stump. In addition to this, everyone will be looking at the Indian middle order as well, which has not offered much in recent years, mostly the duo of Rahane and Pujara. Also, it will be interesting to see who will get the opportunity for South Africa as a wicket-keeper as Quinton de Kock has taken retirement after the first Test.
Additional Information
Broadcast Details: Starting on 3rd -7th January 2022, From 1.30 p.m. on Live on Star Sports network and Disney+Hotstar
Umpires: Allahudien Palekar & Marais Erasmus
TV Umpire: Adrian Holdstock
Reserve Umpire: Bongani Jele
Match Referee: Andy Pycroft
Some Interesting stats
1. India has a great record at the Wanderers stadium as they never lost a test match here. Out of the 5 Tests played here, India has won 2 and drawn the remaining 3.
2. South Africa has an average record at this venue. they have played a total of 42 test matches here, winning 18, losing 13, and drawing the remaining 11.
3. Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have enjoyed a good record on this ground. Both played 2 test matches here. Virat scored 310 runs at an average of 77.5 with a hundred and two fifties, while Pujara scored 229 runs at an average of 57.25 with a hundred and a fifty.
Records that can be broken in this match
1. Ravichandran Ashwin can become the second-highest wicket-taker for India in Tests. Currently, Ashwin has 429 International Test wickets. Just 5 wickets behind Kapil Dev’s 434 wickets. Therefore, there is a good chance he can reach this feat in the match at Johannesburg.
2. India has never won a series in South Africa. This record can be broken in this match if team India continues to play like the first test at Centurion. Moreover, India has never lost a match at Johannesburg. As of now, Team India is leading the three-match series by 1-0.
Conclusion – Writer’s Opinion
The retirement of Quinton de Kock came as a shock to everyone. He will be replaced by either Kyle Verreynne or Ryan Rickelton. However, It will make their batting unit dependent on just three batsmen, Dean Elgar, Temba Bavuma, and Aiden Markram. On the other side, the only negative of the first test match for team India was the failure of the middle-order to convert their starts into big runs. Apart from that, Team India had a good overall performance. Therefore, they do not need to change much in their plans. Keeping the pitch and weather report in mind, South Africa can come out with an all-out pace attack for this game. Duanne Oliver can get in the XI in place of Keshav Maharaj, who seemed ineffective against the Indian batsmen. Above all, it will be interesting to see how Indian batsmen will keep up against the African pace unit.
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