Wednesday sees South Africa continue its 2025 tour of India with an ODI in Nava Raipur. This is the second of three ODIs, with the first played in Ranchi and the third in Visakhapatnam.
The tour ends with five T20s across venues across India. Those white-ball matches will be key, as they serve as preparation for both teams ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be played on many of the same pitches in February.
Here is a look ahead at the contest.
India VS South Africa 2nd ODI Venue: JSCA Stadium, Ranchi
India VS South Africa 2nd ODI Date: Wednesday, December 3
India VS South Africa 2nd ODI Odds:
History
This tour is going well for the Proteas.
The Test squad swept India 2-0 with victories in Kolkata by 30 runs and a 408-run thrashing in Guwahati. The pounding set a new record Test defeat for India by number of runs, with Player of the Match Marco Jansen and spin sensation Simon Harmer skittling the hosts for 201 in their first innings and 140 in the second.
The white-ball squad will need to pick up its game to regain the momentum the Test side has built. The Proteas lost the first ODI by 17 runs on Sunday, despite winning the toss and putting their hosts in to bat.
India made the most of a good batting wicket. They raced to 349/8 in 50 overs, setting the tourists a target of 350 to win. South Africa kept things interesting, but fell behind in run rate to the point they were swinging at everything down the stretch.
India
Virat Kohli was in his typically sensational form in this match. He scored 135 runs from 120 balls, setting a record in the process. Kohli hit his 52nd ODI century, surpassing the great Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most clips of 100 or more internationally in a single format.
It was not the only record to fall for India either. Rohit Sharma, a player with a cannon for a bat, set a new record for the most sixes in ODIs as he crushed his 352nd six of his career.
South Africa
The big wicket to fall was that of Matthew Breetzke. He gave the Proteas life with a quickfire 72 from 80 deliveries.
This was especially important after the openers collapsed immediately under Indian bowling pressure. That South Africa was even able to make a contest of this after falling to 11-3 early says much about the spirit within the squad and the talent in the middle order.
South Africa will get Keshav Maharaj back for this one. It is expected to be another tight affair, and there is every chance that the return of the Proteas’ best spinner could cover the 17 runs that they lost in the first ODI.
Best Bets
I like the Proteas in this spot to win and take the series to a decider. India feels far too short at 2/5, given that the first ODI was so close after an initial collapse. I would avoid the props markets and back South Africa to win at 2/1.
