A series win will be at stake for India when they take on South Africa in the second of the three-match T20I series at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday.
Having taken a 1-0 lead courtesy of a 28-run win at the Wanderers, Virat Kohli’s men could inflict further misery on the out-of-sorts hosts who were on the receiving end of a 5-1 thumping in the ODI series.
Here, we look at the key talking points ahead of Wednesday’s clash.
KOHLI CHASES LEGENDS
With a staggering 870 runs in the Tests, ODIs and T20Is so far on the tour, Kohli is in line to break Don Bradman’s feat of scoring 974 runs on a single tour. The legendary Australian had notched those runs in five Tests against England in 1930. If Kohli does indeed overtake Bradman, it would put him in second position on the all-time list.
If he can get 130 runs more in the remaining two games, he could become only the second batsman in history after Viv Richards to breach the 1000-run mark in one tour. The West Indies great had registered 1,045 runs during the 1976 tour of England.
TWIN-SPIN THREAT ON CARDS AGAIN FOR PROTEAS
In the first T20I, India had lined up with one specialist spinner in Yuzvendra Chahal. With Centurion largely being on the slower side throughout the tour, expect Kohli to line up with two spinners on Wednesday.
That would mean a return to the side for Kuldeep Yadav who was sensational in the ODI series or Axar Patel, who has not had a single look-in on the tour so far. With a series win at stake, the former will be the front-runner to come in.
All of it could spell further trouble for the Proteas who could be in for another trial by spin.
IYER OR PANDEY DILEMMA FOR KOHLI
It was Manish Pandey who was preferred ahead of Shreyas Iyer at the Wanderers and though the former remained unbeaten on 29 runs, it came at almosta run-a-ball. Most notable was his inability to find the boundaries as he struggled to stamp home India’s authority after a brilliant set-up by the top-order. Pandey’s struggle to find his timing meant that the onus of upping the ante fell on MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya.
This could mean a return for Iyer into the squad on Wednesday though the youngster himself hasn’t exactly set the world alight with his performances in the ODIs. If he gets the nod, he will need to step up big time or risk being marginalised from the limited-overs squad.
HOSTS UNDER FIRE TO DELIVER
After the disappointment of the ODI series, the Proteas hit the refresh button for the T20Is with the big guns being rested for the upcoming Test series against Australia.
A new look side led by JP Duminy failed to bring any change in fortunes in the series opener and with India smelling blood, things could get worse for the hosts come, especially with AB de Villiers being sidelined once again with an injury.
With their backs against the wall, expect the Proteas to come out firing as they seek to avoid the ignominy of another home series defeat.