South Africa vs India, 2nd Test, Johannesburg: Fantasy Preview

A weary South Africa will take on a red-hot India in the second Test of the series at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. India have a chance to create history as a win will ensure their first Test series win on the South African soil. Hence, time is running out for the hosts as a series defeat at home lingers over their neck.

Passing Stat: India have never lost a Test at Johannesburg’s New Wanderers Stadium, playing three draws and winning twice. 

Team Combination and Ground Details

Johannesburg New Wanderers Stadium, nicknamed “The Bullring”, has been superb for fast bowlers. Since 2014, pacers have pouched 229 of the 245 wickets (excluding run-outs) which translates to 89 percent of the dismissals.  It is worth remembering that the last time India played South Africa at the Wanderers, they opted to field an all-pace attack. 

Given the intimidating pace attack on both sides, they will be paramount in this game. South Africa may further bolster their pace battery with the inclusion of Duanne Olivier.

Also, 13 catches were taken by the wicketkeeper of both sides in the first Test, making them an important asset as well. 

Suggested Team

The team we've picked has a good mix of world-class batters and bowlers. But remember, while you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.

Captain selection

In Centurion, Kagiso Rabada appeared to be in his best form in a recent while. After a dull first day, he made a strong return on the subsequent day of play, engineering a collapse in India’s first innings alongside Lungi Ngidi. Rabada picked seven wickets in the match. At The Bullring, Rabada has 24 wickets at 20.5 runs apiece. 

X-Factors

Ajinkya Rahane dropped hints of getting back to his golden touch in Centurion. Though he scored only 68 runs in the match, Rahane’s strokeplay was top-notch. He also had the lowest false-shot percentage on both sides - 7.2

Much like Rahane, Temba Bavuma seemed like the best middle-order batsman in the South African unit. He scored a fighting fifty in the first Test and looked strong in the second innings as well, only to be left stranded. At 10.3, he had the best false-shot percentage amongst batsmen from both sides. We can expect him to bat higher up in the order. 

Here are the top-10 picks as per Criclytics projected points-

Probable XIs:

South Africa : Dean Elgar (c), Aiden Markram, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Wiann Mulder, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Duanne Olivier, Lungi Ngidi

India: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj