LIVE: India lose their 20th consecutive toss, South Africa to bowl first in Raipur
In the second ODI at Raipur's Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium, South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and opted to bowl first against India, aiming to level the series.
Last Updated: 01.23 PM, Dec 03, 2025
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bowl first against India in the second ODI at Raipur's Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium, aiming to keep the three-match series alive after a narrow 17-run defeat in the opener. This marks India's 20th consecutive ODI toss loss, a streak highlighted by skipper KL Rahul, who stuck with an unchanged XI despite the misfortune.
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Rahul remained upbeat despite the toss luck
Rahul remained upbeat post-toss, noting his team's strong performance in Ranchi, where they posted 349/8, powered by Virat Kohli's 52nd ODI century (135 off 120) and fifties from Rohit Sharma (57) and himself (60).
"We haven't won the toss for a long time, but we did really well last game. Expect dew everywhere—plan is to put runs on the board and pick early wickets," Rahul stated, emphasizing the pitch's batting-friendly look.
Bavuma, returning as captain alongside Keshav Maharaj and Lungi Ngidi, replacing three players from the first ODI, expressed optimism that dew would aid their bowling later.
"Hoping as night comes, dew makes the ball skid more. Lots of positives from last game; we got close despite a poor start," he said, referencing South Africa's valiant chase led by Matthew Breetzke (72), Marco Jansen (70 off 39), and Corbin Bosch (67).
Pitch conditions in Raipur
Experts Deep Dasgupta and Shaun Pollock provided key insights during the pre-match show. The surface offers 67m square boundaries and 74m straight, but presents challenges: one end is dry and even for batting, the other is patchy with cracks promising uneven bounce and a two-paced nature.
"Not as high-scoring as Ranchi. Watch for reverse swing on the abrasive track, and dew; chasing is ideal," Dasgupta warned, underscoring why Bavuma's decision aligns with conditions.
In the opener, dew indeed complicated India's defense, with Kuldeep Yadav's 4/68 proving decisive amid South Africa's lower-order fightback, falling short at 332 in 49.2 overs. Raipur's track could similarly test both sides' adaptability.
Playing XIs
India Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul (w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.
South Africa Playing XI: Quinton de Kock (w), Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi.