INDvsSA 2nd ODI: Jaiswal-Smash Puts India in Command Early
India blasts 21/0 in 1.5 overs after SA elects to bowl in Raipur ODI.
South Africa Captain Temba Bavuma, returning from illness to lead the Proteas, secured yet another toss victory on Wednesday at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, electing to bowl first and prolonging India's unprecedented 20-match ODI toss drought, a statistical anomaly now reaching improbable proportions.
India, riding high from their gritty 17-run triumph in the rain-interrupted Ranchi opener—where Virat Kohli's 52nd ODI century of 135 propelled them to 349/8—persisted with an unaltered lineup, dispatching openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma to exploit the day-night conditions and potentially set a daunting target in the series-sealing encounter.
The innings erupted with Jaiswal's aggressive flourish against Nandre Burger, slashing the first ball for a boundary through covers and following with another four off the second, while Burger's wayward lines yielded multiple wides, ballooning the over to 14 runs and injecting early momentum into India's campaign.
Also Read: INDvsSA 1st ODI: Harshit Rana’s Doublestrike Turns the Tide Against South Africa in 1st ODI Chase
South Africa's bowling woes intensified in the second over as Lungi Ngidi, fresh into the attack, sprayed three wides to commence proceedings, conceding eight runs in total—including a single for Rohit—before Burger returned to stem the flow, leaving India at a rampant 24/0 after three overs with a run rate of 8.00, Jaiswal on 11 off 10 and Rohit unbeaten on 1 off 2.
Bavuma's tactical reinforcements of Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj alongside his own inclusion—substituting Ryan Rickelton, Prenelan Subrayen, and Ottneil Baartman—sought to shore up the middle-order frailties laid bare in Ranchi by Kuldeep Yadav's incisive 4/68, priming the contest for a renewed intensity as India's top order eyes dominance in Raipur's relatively untested international arena.
Also Read: INDvsSA 1st ODI: Rohit Sharma Becomes ODI Six-Hitting Leader as India Post 349 Against South Africa
