IND vs SA 2nd ODI | Rinku Singh Makes ODI Debut As India Invited To Bat
KL Rahul [Twitter]
South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl in the highly anticipated second ODI against India at St George's Park, Gqeberha, on December 19. The decision to put India in to bat reflects the Proteas' strategic approach to gain an advantage and level the series.
As the teams gear up for battle, there is one change in India's playing XI, and all eyes are on Rinku Singh, making his ODI debut for India, bringing a new dimension to the lineup. However, the absence of Shreyas Iyer adds an unexpected twist.
In South Africa's lineup, Beuran Hendricks and Lizaad Williams replace Andile Phehlukwayo and Tabraiz Shamsi in the playing XI, marking two significant changes.
Playing XI:
India Playing XI : Ruturaj Gaikwad, B Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Lokesh Rahul (c and wk), Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh
South Africa Playing XI : Tony de Zorzi, Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Lizaad Williams, Beuran Hendricks
Captain's Thoughts:
KL Rahul (India Captain): “Not sure. We will wait and see. There was a good bounce when the guys played the T20I here. But not sure exactly how the wicket will play. In a game like that, you don't talk much. Just give credit to the bowlers. But we also spoke about moving on and focusing on the next game. We will try to enjoy on the field.
One change. Shreyas has gone to join the Test team and Rinku comes in. He will be making his debut."
Aiden Markram (South Africa Captain): "We are going to bowl first. Fresh wicket and hopefully we can use it upfront with the new ball. The wind is blowing which hopefully is a bowling wind. We want to challenge ourselves with chasing in this format so a good opportunity for us to do it today.
 "Rajgeeta")
