International Cricket

India Tour South Africa 2026-27 2nd ODI Day 1 Preview Probable XI

Anika Nair 6 May 2026 Updated 6 May 2026 ~4 min read ~688 words

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The second ODI of India's 2026-27 South Africa tour is indicatively pencilled in for 6 January 2027 at St George's Park, Gqeberha — historically a slower surface that suits India's wrist-spin attack. With the white-ball series following the three-Test block, this leg matters less for WTC points and more for the Champions Trophy 2027 short list. Several spots are still open for India's 2027 ODI side, and a few names have direct selection meetings riding on the South African leg.

Day 1 timings

The 2nd ODI is a day game starting 1:00 p.m. SAST to clear the late-afternoon wind off the bay.

Zone	Start time
SAST (Gqeberha)	1:00 p.m.
IST	16:30
GMT	11:00
PKT	16:00
AEST	21:00
NZT	23:00

ODI series fixture context

ODI	Indicative Date	Venue	Capacity
1st	03 Jan 2027	Kingsmead, Durban	25,000
2nd	06 Jan 2027	St George's Park, Gqeberha	19,000
3rd	09 Jan 2027	Wanderers, Johannesburg	34,000

Probable XIs

India: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.

Suryakumar at five and Hardik at six gives India two finishers and the option of Sundar bowling first or last six. St George's Park has historically been a wrist-spinner's ground, so Kuldeep is the lock and Chahal is on standby.

South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Tony de Zorzi, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Andile Phehlukwayo, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.

Broadcast and streaming

SuperSport in South Africa, Star Sports plus JioHotstar in India, Sky Sports for the UK, Willow TV across the United States and Canada. SuperSport Caribbean for the West Indies, Sky NZ for New Zealand. FanCode does not carry this tour into India.

Tickets and venue logistics

St George's Park ticketing runs through Webtickets, with general admission expected at R150-200 and premium at R450-600. Gqeberha is reachable by domestic flight from Johannesburg or Cape Town; the airport is 7km from the ground. The local council usually arranges shuttle services on match days.

Weather and pitch read

Gqeberha in early January runs hot in the morning and breezy by mid-afternoon. The wind, locally called the "Cape Doctor", can play with high-arc wrist spin and reverse swing. The surface is a slow turner with even bounce. A 270-290 first-innings score is par; chasing sides win roughly 55% of day games here.

What this match means

If India wins the series opener at Kingsmead, the 2nd ODI is a chance to seal the rubber. If the visitors lose game one, this is a must-win. South Africa is using the series as a Champions Trophy 2027 audition for several finishers and the wrist-spinning depth chart. India's middle order under Suryakumar Yadav remains fluid; the South Africa leg often locks combinations.

For series scaffolding, see the full tour itinerary and tickets piece. For squad context, the India vs South Africa tour preview sets the names.

Toss is 12:30 p.m. local. Expect a smaller crowd than Durban but a more competitive cricket surface. Gqeberha rarely lets either side run away.