India will lock horns with South Africa for the second ODI in the ongoing series at the JSCA International Stadium Complex on Sunday, in Ranchi, Jharkhand. The first match in the three-match series was won by South Africa by nine runs in Lucknow.

The Proteas will look to clinch a series win today with a victory. For India, it will be a must-win match if they have to prevent a home series defeat against South Africa ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.

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India won the T20I series against South Africa 2-1 and are in a good form in the shorter format. An ODI series win against Australia will place them in a sweet spot ahead of the upcoming ICC tournament after a shock exit from the 2022 Asia Cup.

In the first ODI, which was reduced to 40 overs per team due to rain delay, India put up a good bowling performance for the first few overs. However, David Miller and Heinrich Klassen scored 149 from 128 balls taking the South African total to a mammoth 249 in 40 overs. 

The proteas are expected to be without Miller after his daughter’s untimely death on Saturday due to cancer. The 33-year-old player shared an emotional video of her daughter on Instagram letting the world know about her death. 

The Men in Blue also had their own setbacks with both Deepak Chahar and Jasprit Bumrah out of the series. Chahar has been replaced by Washington Sundar for the matches on Sunday and Tuesday, while BCCI is yet to announce a replacement for Bumrah who will also miss the upcoming T20I World Cup due to a back injury.

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The JSCA pitch is known for being favourable to batters and slow ballers. Whoever bats first in the match is likely to have an edge as there is usually little turn with the new ball. Indian spinners will have a big task at hand to keep the Proteas within a manageable total. 

India has played a total of five matches at the JSCA stadium, winning two, losing two and one abandoned. Virat Kohli has the highest individual score at the JSCA with a 139 against Sri Lanka in 2014. R. Ashwin is the highest wicket-taker there with a total of six wickets from three matches. 

The match will start at 1:30 PM IST and will stream on the Star Sports Network.