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LIVE: Dala returns to remove Kohli, India lose three inside powerplay

The rain has stopped and the groudstaff have done a commendable job. The toss will be at the scheduled time and match will also begin at 9.30 pm IST. Fingers crossed for a full 20-over game.

live scorecard, India vs South Africa 2nd T20I, Centurion

Rain falls for 30

Phehlukwayo provides the breakthrough! Raina walks across the stumps to heave it over mid-wicket but misses the ball completely and it hits him dead straight. Manjrekar says they should have gone for the review but Pandey advises Raina the opposite. So he walks back for 30. IND: 90/4

Bang goes Pandey

Is he carrying a photocopy machine with him? If there ever were two identical shots then these are the two and the result the same, back to back sixes over deep mid-wicket. Flighted deliveries around the pad and Pandey gets down on his knees, slog sweeps it to deposit it deep into the crowd. Pandey is taking a liking of Shamsi. Two sixes and a four in the over. IND: 85/3 after 10

A jaffer to get rid of Kohli

Edged and gone! Look at the delight on the South African faces, it's the India captain, it's Virat Kohli (1). An absolute snorter from Junior Dala, that rises awkwardly from length, kisses the shoulder of Kohli's bat and lands harmlessly in Klaasen's gloves. A body blow to India. They have lost three for 45.

Soft dismissal for Dhawan

What on earth have you done Dhawan? Hits a full toss straight down the throat of the mid-on fielder. That was asking to be hit, but Dhawan ends up getting the toe end of the bat, the move to bring the spinner on has done wonders for South Africa. They have got their second wicket. Dhawan goes for 24(14)

Raina joins the party

One through the off side and successive ones through the on side, Raina brings Junior Dala to ground with three fours in one over. He means business here. That wristy flick past mid-wicket was a treat to the idea. Early problems for South Africa. From 0/1 in 1.1 overs, India have raced away to 40/1 at 4 overs. 

Dhawan counter-attacks

Take that! says Dahwan, another six, this time bigger. Morris erring on the shorter side for the third time in the over and Dhawan gives a full monty. 20 runs off the third over, India up and running.

A lovely pull shot over the long-leg boundary for a six, followed by a trademark Dhawan backfoot punch past point for a boundary. Dhawan takes the pressure off with hissuperb counter attacking insticts.

It's Suresh Raina again. So Kohli's experimentation with the No. 3 position continues.

Junior Dala, if not Morris

WOW! Another peach of a delivery and the finger goes up again. This time there is no question of a review. The ball appeared to have stayed a tad low but full marks to Junior Dala for hitting the right area on his very first ball. A golden duck for Rohit Sharma. India: 0/1 after 1.1 overs.

The dream start that wasn't to be

Yes, there is an inside edge. Dhawan lives to fight another day. South Africa's dream starte goes up in smoke. But there is encouragment for Morris.

Huge appeal and the umpire raises his finger, What a start for South Africa. Oh wait! Dhawan opts for the review straight away, suggesting there was an inside edge. Morris gets the new ball for the first time, becuase of his ability to move the ball and produces an ideal first ball that comes back in to the left hander and cramps him for room.

India playing XI: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey,MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar,Jaydev Unadkat, Shardul Thakur.

South Africa playing XI: JP Duminy (capt), Farhaan Behardien, Junior Dala, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Chris Morris, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Jon-Jon Smuts.

Team News: Jasprit Bumrah has got a niggle, Shardul Thakur replaces him. No changes for South Africa. 

TOSS: South Africa wins the toss and opts to field first against India at Centurion. 

UPDATE: The rain has stopped and the groudstaff have done a commendable job. The toss will be at the scheduled time and match will also begin at 9.30 pm IST. Fingers crossed for a full 20-over game.

Hello and Welcome to the live coverage of the India vs South Africa 2nd T20I at Centurion. There is some not so welcoming news coming in from the SuperSport Park as rain has washed out the Women's 3rd T20I and there are high chances of it inflicting multiple stoppages during this match also. 

There is a 55% chance of rain during the match, which means this could be a long night for our Indian viewers. 

LIVE: Dala returns to remove Kohli, India lose three inside powerplay

 

The prelude

With limited options in South Africa, a team generally travels to the same venue multiple times in a long tour involving all three formats of the game. The situation with India is no different, as they have made their way to Centurion for the fourth time – the most they have been to any venue on their near two-month long South Africa tour. After a Test defeat and two thumping ODI wins, they will face the hosts in a series deciding second T20I at the SuperSport Park on Wednesday.  

The Men in Blue won the first T20I at Johannesburg by 28 runs and another victory will see them wrap up another series win on this tour – their first ever T20 series win in South Africa.

A prospective 3-0 series' win would also help India climb up the ICC T20I Rankings and take up second spot behind Pakistan. However, if Australia beat New Zealand in the T20 tri-series' final (on Wednesday as well), India would stay on in their current third position.

Word from the Indian camp is that Virat Kohli will be fit in time for game. The skipper had hobbled off in latter stages of the previous game on Sunday with a left hip problem. The team management had deemed the issue as "nothing serious", and as such, he is expected to walk out at toss time on tomorrow.

Kohli had suffered a slight knee issue while fielding in the first ODI at Durban as well, but he brushed it off to score a fine hundred thereafter. Even so, another injury scare only underlines his exhaustive workload.

Wrapping up the series here might also enable Kohli to take time off and sit out the final T20I in Cape Town, keeping in mind his hectic schedule over the next three months.

If at all, India do need to consider his absence from this second match, then K L Rahhul would come in as replacement.

He was left out from the previous game in favour of Manish Pandey, but now comes back into reckoning owing to Kohli's pending fitness ruling.

However, it is not expected to be the only change to the playing eleven. While India have shown a propensity recently to play a left-arm pacer in their T20I eleven, Jaydev Unadkat's inclusion in the Wanderers game was perhaps down more to the good batting conditions on offer.

The pitch at Supersport Park has played slow throughout this tour and the same is to be expected once more. In that light, India could once again opt for two spinners in the eleven, and 'chinaman' Kuldeep Yadav comes back into reckoning.

Even left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who hasn't got a game on tour yet, could be considered given his ability to keep things tight.

The one surprising element for India was Suresh Raina's elevation to number three. If Kohli does play, will he repeat this ploy once again?

In Johannesburg, it was obvious that the team management had gauged conditions early and deemed 200 a par-score on that pitch.

Thus, their move to send Raina up and attack during the powerplay overs with Kohli held back to anchor the middle-order, allowing the returning left-hander a license to free shot-making.

To an extent, it does shore up India's only frailty – lower middle order – particularly as the team management continues to back MS Dhoni in the shortest format.

The former skipper is also reluctant to bat higher up in keeping with his penchant for finishing off the innings.

Kohli's 'demotion' to number four, despite staggering average at his favoured spot, helps stabilise the lower middle order at least in the short term.

Meanwhile, only last Tuesday, South Africa had faced a do-or-die moment in Port Elizabeth and now have their backs up against the wall for a second time in eight days.

The hosts had put their hopes in a basket full of new eggs. Yet, despite hitting the refresh button, they weren't able to muster the required challenge for a high-flying Indian team at the moment.

AB de Villiers is now ruled out of this T20I series (with a left knee problem) as well but Cricket South Africa has not named a replacement. So, JP Duminy must find solutions from within the available squad.

The stand-in skipper was adamant that their plans at Wanderers – including the decision to bowl short to India's top-order in the powerplay overs – were sound enough, and just needed proper execution.

In that light, it is easy to assume the same playing eleven could take the field yet again.

It remains to be seen if the Centurion pitch will provide them enough bounce to try out the short-ball ploy once again, or indeed if the Proteas have thought of a plan B this time around.

Teams (from):

India: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Jaydev Unadkat, Shardul Thakur.

South Africa: JP Duminy (capt), Farhaan Behardien, Junior Dala, Reeza Hendricks, Christiaan Jonker, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Chris Morris, Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Jon-Jon Smuts.

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