Ind SA ODI 2 Preview: Can SA Hold Off India from No. 2?; India's Death Bowling Worries

The Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior holds the edge of excitement in the series. A win here for India in the second ODI of the India South Africa series will mean not only a series win but also, a chance to finish no.2 in the ICC ODI rankings.

sa celebrate sehwags wicket

And if India become no.2, they will displace none other than South Africa who will be desperate to win this match and stay alive in the three match series and remain on top in the rankings.

But there are concerns in both camps ahead of the match. South Africa know they have their work cut out after the embarrassing collapse in the Jaipur ODI. It was only the perseverance of the South African captain, Jacques Kallis, and fearless assault from Wayne Parnell and Dale Steyn that saw South Africa come so close to India's target only to lose by a run.

Kallis did touch upon the luck factor, referring to the Sachin Tendulkar boundary save that prevented South Africa from getting four runs after inconclusive replays. But even he will know there is more than luck that South Africa will have to count on if they are to stop the Indians.

But it is not as if Mahendra Singh Dhoni is without his share of problems, even in victory. The Indian captain would not have been too excited to watch South Africa get right back into the game after being virtually trounced and he knows there is a perceptible problem with India's death bowling, aggravated in the absence of the injured Zaheer Khan.

Come Wednesday, India must once again rely on their batting heavy defense while South Africa will need to greater discipline in bowling so as not to give away extras to the tune of two overs and the batsmen need to take a cue from India's persistence in the first innings in Jaipur so as not to repeat the results in Gwalior.

Lots at stake here.

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Click on the links below for more stories on the India South Africa series and the Test matches in depth:

Ind SA T 2 Preview: Equation Simple for Both Teams; Win Test; Become the No.1 Test Team

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