3 reasons why India can level the Test series against South Africa in 2nd match

India did not have a great Test at Centurion, where they were handed a huge defeat by the home side, South Africa. The Proteas beat India by an innings and 32 runs, which is the first defeat of India by an innings in more than 2 years. It was a pathetic performance from the team which led to the win of South Africa. The fans were not too happy with the performance of the team in the match.

More than the result, the fans were not happy with the fact that the players did not perform enough. The bowlers had a forgettable outing in the only innings they bowled. Likewise, the Indian batters could not make a huge impact on the match in either innings. On the other hand, SA seemed to be so good in the match. The home side was ready for the challenge of India and performed well as a unit.

Ahead of the second Test at Cape Town, here are the three reasons why India could make a comeback to win the match.

3. Acclimatization to conditions

India is usually a team that takes a match to get used to the conditions that are alien to them. In the past, India has taken a match to get acclimatized to the conditions in SA, England, NZ, and Australia. The fact that India has mostly lost many matches on their first match of the tour in the past proves the fact that the Indian players need some time to know of the conditions that are alien to them.

In many tours like Australia 2014/15, South Africa 2017/18, England 2018, Australia 2020/21, New Zealand 2021, and others, India lost the first match of the series. In the 2020/21 tour of Australia, India won the series despite trailing 0-1. Hence, one could expect the players from India to make a return in the next match. It will also be a new year and a new beginning for the Indian team. Hence, a lot of things can change for the visiting side.

2. Better application from players

Indian players performed badly in the first Test. The bowlers were poor in their lengths. They gave away a lot of freebies for the batters which helped the home side to be ahead of the game. But now that the players are used to the conditions, one can expect better performance from them. There will definitely be better planning from the visiting side who have seen the way the wickets have reacted in the ongoing series and in the past tours.

Batters would know what to play and what to leave. Bowlers are likely to bowl in better areas, having seen the way the bowlers from the home side have operated so far. Fielding is likely to improve as well. There’s a need to catch in the slip cordon a lot better. It can make a difference between the two sides of the series. Winning the toss would be crucial for the eventual result of the match.

1. Potential changes

Some of the players were poor in their previous outings. The bowlers did not bowl well and played in the hands of the home side. Some of the young and inexperienced players struggled to perform in the middle. At the same time, even the seniors did not show enough application in the middle. It ensured that the match went out of India’s reach. Hence, a couple of changes can be expected in the third Test of the series.

India might definitely replace Prasidh Krishna with Mukesh Kumar. Prasidh was ineffective on a wicket that was helpful for the pacers. Mukesh being almost a like-to-like replacement might play his first Test in SA. Likewise, Shardul had a bad outing with the ball. Given the lack of pace, the team might be tempted to play Avesh Khan. There are chances of Abhimanyu Easwaran playing ahead of Shubman Gill. These changes might be better for the sake of the team.