Rajasthan Royals' director of cricket and head coach Kumar Sangakkara believes they have a 'very competent' squad at their disposal to script a turnaround after three dismal IPL seasons.
The selectors have added uncapped batsman Raynard van Tonder, seamer Lutho Sipamla and all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius to the squad.
Jonny Bairstow bludgeoned a brilliant unbeaten 86 from 48 balls as the tourists chased down 180 to beat South Africa by five wickets
Both the high-profile openers, Kohli and Faf du Plessis, are big match players and will be itching to make an impact after low returns in the previous game.
A complete list of players, who failed to attract any bid in the IPL 2021
Rajasthan are third on the points table, and it is mostly because of the flamboyant Jos Buttler.
Pakistan spinners Yasir Shah and Nauman Ali took five wickets between them to restrict South Africa to 220 all out, but the home side faltered in reply to close on 33 for four on day one of a fast-moving first Test in Karachi on Tuesday.
Guilty of making too many changes at the top, Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to find a winning combination against Rajasthan Royals and snap their five-match losing streak in the IPL, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, on Monday.
South African batting consultant Justin Sammons hailed Dean Elgar's stubborn resistance against a fearsome Indian attack, saying the skipper's show with the bat will be key if the hosts have to win the Wanderers Test.
Dean Elgar lived up to his reputation as a dogged, street-fighting batsman as he held the Indian bowling attack at bay, scoring a patient 46 off 121 balls.
Shardul Thakur had spotted a crack in between back of length to good length area and was trying to hit that region to get the ball back into the right-handers.
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) general manager Col HS Manhas said all precautions are being taken by the medical teams amid the coronavirus scare.
Rajneesh Gupta has all the numbers about how each player from the Indian and South Africa teams fared in T20 Internationals.
'We have the likes of (captain) Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma, who have the ability to dig in and score big runs and I also like the way that Rassie (van der Dussen) has come in and grown in that team.'
India's three-match ODI campaign against South Africa starting on Thursday where the hosts would be aiming to put the 'New Zealand Nightmare' behind them.
The Proteas have named five new players in the squad for the series starting next month.
Led by Quinton de Kock, South Africa's 44 cricketers, who are part of a men's high performance squad, have returned to training amid the COVID-19 pandemic after getting approval from the country's sports ministry. South Africa has reported more than 1,38,000 COVID-19 cases with over 2,400 deaths.
Sarfaraz, Imad Wasim dropped from Pakistan white-ball squad vs Australia.
South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 87 runs
India will need another near perfect game to take the five-match series into the decider.
Save for Quinton de Kock, who has retired from Test cricket and will play for Lucknow Super Giants, there is no certainty on whether Proteas pace attack of Kagiso Rabada (Punjab Kings), Nortje (DC), Marco Jansen (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Lungi Ngidi (DC) will be available before the Test series against Bangladesh ends.
Jofra Archer showed why England could not leave him out of their final ICC Men's Cricket World Cup squad as he bowled them to opening win against South Africa.
In impressive form throughout the season, Lucknow Super Giants will look to bounce back from the reverse they suffered in their previous match and beat Rajasthan Royals in the IPL fixture at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday and confirm a berth in the play-offs.
India captain Virat Kohli led from the front with an unbeaten 72 to help secure his team's comprehensive seven-wicket victory over South Africa in the second Twenty20 International, in Mohali, on Wednesday.
India captain K L Rahul attributed the 0-3 drubbing from South Africa in the ODI series to collective failure and said there is no shying away from the fact that the visitors have "gone wrong".
While Rajasthan, placed second in the standings, have lost only two games and won six, Mumbai are already out of contention for a play-off berth
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second ODI against South Africa?
Images from the second One-Day International between South Africa and India, in Paarl, on Friday.
Two wrist-spinners, who are currently dominating the bowling charts will be itching to show their wares
Dawid Malan returned to his home town on Sunday to steer England to a four-wicket win over South Africa in their second Twenty20 international in Paarl as they clinched the three-match series.
Also included is fast bowler Anrich Nortje, but in-form opening batsman Temba Bavuma will have to prove his fitness after injuring his hamstring against England on Sunday.
Their confidence severely dented after two comprehensive defeats, last edition's runners-up side Kolkata Knight Riders will be looking to get their inconsistent campaign back on track when they face Rajasthan Royals in the IPL match in Mumbai on Monday.
A battle royale is on the cards when Hardik Pandya's Gujarat Titans take on the Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals, two line-ups armed with potent bowling units in a top-of-the-table IPL showdown at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.
If their performance is any indication, Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals could make for a blockbuster Indian Premier League contest on Sunday evening, an iconic venue adding to its charm.
Mumbai Indians will have the returning Suryakumar Yadav's flamboyance in the middle-order as they look to bounce back against a confident Rajasthan Royals unit in the IPL at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday.
For South Africa, Rassie van der Dussen has advanced three slots to the sixth position, just one shy of his career-best, after scores of 34 not out and 52.
The first One-Day International between India and Sri Lanka witnessed important milestones being set and new records being made.
Debutants Gujarat Titans will start as favourites against spin-heavy former champions Rajasthan Royals when the two teams face-off in the first IPL Qualifier, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on Tuesday.
Jos Buttler would be eagerly waiting to pounce on an inexperienced Chennai Super Kings attack in order to clinch a play-offs berth for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2022 match on Friday.
David Miller helped South Africa blast 14 runs from their super over, before the wily Tahir restricted Sri Lanka to only five in reply, two of which were wides.
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