India to defend unbeatable ODI record in Raipur today:Bavuma-Maharaj’s return adds to South Africa’s strength, Rohit close to 20,000 international runs

The second ODI between India and South Africa will be played today in Raipur. The toss will be at 1 PM at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium, and the match will start at 1:30 PM. India has not lost an ODI in Raipur. Captain Temba Bavuma, who was not part of the first ODI, will return today. Spinner Keshav Maharaj might also return to the team. On the other hand, Team India might bench one player between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Washington Sundar. Match Details Time: 1:30 PM IST Venue: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Raipur India has not lost an ODI in Raipur Only one ODI has been played in Raipur so far. In January 2023, India defeated New Zealand by 8 wickets. In head-to-head encounters, 59 ODIs have been played between India and South Africa. India won 28, and South Africa won 30 ODIs. One match also ended without a result. In India, both teams played 25 matches; Team India won 15, and South Africa won 10 matches. Will Gaikwad be dropped? Ruturaj Gaikwad was given a chance in Ranchi. He came in at number 4, but was out after scoring 8 runs. Before this match, KL Rahul had said that Pant could also play as a batter. In such a situation, Pant might be given a chance in Raipur. He was seen batting in the practice session. In the match, captain KL Rahul himself is handling the wicketkeeper-batsman responsibility. However, he has not practiced. Rohit, Kohli, and Sundar also batted. Rohit top scorer, Harshit is the leading wicket-taker Rohit Sharma has scored the most runs for India this year. He has scored 561 runs at an average of 51 since January 2025. Rohit played an innings of 57 runs in the last match. Meanwhile, Harshit Rana took 3 wickets. Harshit has also taken 19 wickets this year. Breetzke highest run-scorer, Ngidi has 18 Wickets Matthew Britzke scored the most runs (72) for South Africa in Ranchi. He has scored 614 runs at an average of 68.22 in 10 matches this year. Lungi Ngidi has taken 18 wickets in 11 matches played since January 2025. He might make a comeback in this match. Toss a big factor in Raipur, batters likely to get help In this match too, toss can prove to be a big factor. Because, dew will start to set in Raipur after evening. Dew was also observed in Ranchi during the first ODI. Raipur’s pitch is generally considered helpful for batters. In such a situation, a high-scoring match can be expected. The team winning the toss will prefer to chase first. Jansen will not play, his wife is unwell; stayed in Ranchi South African fast bowler Marco Jansen’s participation in the second ODI is doubtful. He did not reach Raipur with the team. Due to his wife’s ill health, he had to stay in Ranchi. Regarding his performance, Captain Bavuma said – ‘His (Jansen’s) performance with both bat and ball is a huge contribution to our success.’ Jansen played an innings of 70 runs in the last match. He also took two wickets. T20 World Cup jersey to be launched today, Pandya reached Raipur On Wednesday, the Indian team’s jersey for the T20 World Cup will also be launched in Raipur. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia will also be present here. Hardik Pandya has already reached Raipur. Possible Playing-11 India: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (Captain, Wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar/Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna. South Africa: Temba Bavuma (Captain), Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Prenelan Subrayen/Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger and Ottniel Baartman/Lungi Ngidi. Where to watch the match? The first ODI between India and South Africa will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network in India. Meanwhile, live streaming will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website. Additionally, you can watch LIVE coverage of the match on the Bhaskar app.