3 things to look forward to in the 2nd India vs South Africa T20I ft. Hardik Pandya's bowling

India and South Africa will battle it out in the second T20I of the five-match series on Thursday, December 11. The encounter will be contested at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.

The T20 World Cup is not far away, and both teams will need to finetune their preparations for the marquee ICC event. India seem to be in good shape, having done well in bilateral series lately. South Africa, who were thrashed by 101 runs in the series opener, will know that they need to bring their A game to the party.

India’s T20I squad for the South Africa series: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar, Hardik Pandya.

South Africa's T20I squad for the India series: Aiden Markram (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock (wk), Lutho Sipamla, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Tristan Stubbs.

On that note, here are three things to look forward to in the second T20I between India and South Africa.

#3 Hardik Pandya's bowling will be watched closely

In the series opener, Hardik Pandya impressed all with his dynamic strokeplay and fluency on a surface where all other batters struggled. He sent down two overs, picking up a wicket and conceding 16 runs.

On Thursday, India will look to give Hardik a bigger role with the ball. He's only just coming back from injury, and the team's current combination hinges on the star all-rounder being able to reliably give them four overs across various stages.

Hardik could be given the new ball in Mullanpur, but irrespective of that, he needs to bowl his full quota. How he pulls through could give a clear indication of where India stand with respect to the T20 World Cup.

#2 Will Shubman Gill buck up?

Returning from a neck injury in Cuttack, Shubman Gill had a nightmare outing. Without understanding that there was grip and hold in the pitch, the Indian vice-captain tried to slog one down the ground off his second ball, only to hole out.

Gill's place in the T20I team is under serious question, with the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson excluded to accommodate him. The right-hander needs to come up with a solid set of displays to be in the T20 World Cup squad.

An outing on his home turf in New Chandigarh will greatly help matters, and it'll be interesting to see if Gill can use that familiarity to buck up.

#1 Suryakumar Yadav needs to find runs, and find them soon

Australia v India - T20 Series: Game 1 - Source: Getty

In T20Is in 2025, Suryakumar Yadav averages under 15 at a strike rate below 120. He has been in a torrid run of form in recent times and seems to be a shadow of the man who reached the pinnacle of the batting rankings not too long ago.

In Mullanpur, Suryakumar will need to put his best foot forward and come up with a vintage display. South Africa don't have any bowlers who will trouble him too much, and the maverick batter will need to ensure that he gives himself a few balls to get his eye in.

The last thing India need heading into a T20 World Cup is worry over the form of their captain, and time is running out for SKY.