India will have to come up with a better bowling performance to contain the visitors. © BCCI
Take just a few steps out of the Biju Patnaik International airport in Bhubaneshwar, and a big, vibrant hoarding with images of players from India and South Africa - and the chief minister - will catch your attention. Drive along for a few more kilometers into the city and towards Cuttack where the second T20I will take place on Sunday, and you'll see more such welcoming gestures. Some even extending the warmth to the match officials.

After the shellacking received in Delhi, bowlers would perhaps hope for the hospitality to spill over to the conditions as well, but that's unlikely at the Barabati stadium. The last time India played a T20I there [December 2017], Rohit Sharma exclaimed, in typical tongue-in-cheek manner, that dew didn't make a difference because it lasted all 40 overs. The reality of that evening though was that India juggled it better with a complete bowling performance headlined by a Yuzvendra Chahal four-fer.

While focus will squarely be on the bowlers to up their game - admitted as much by Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the eve of the fixture - it will also be interesting to see if India bat with the same sort of uncharacteristic abandon on what could be a slowish surface.

For South Africa, the expectation will largely be to produce more of the same from their record-shattering evening two days ago. Starting with the rub of the green in Temba Bavuma's favour at the toss, what with dew likely to make an erratic impact.

When: India vs South Africa, 2nd T20I, Saturday June 12, 07:00 PM IST,

Where: Barabati stadium, Cuttack

What to expect: An excruciatingly humid evening. Forecast is for it to go as high as 95 percent, which should drag dew into play. The pitches at Barabati have traditionally been on the slower side irrespective of the format, so the spinners on both teams should do better than their forgettable outings in Delhi.

Team News

India

The hosts came under the pump in defense of a 200-plus total in the opening fixture, but that defeat was a collective bowling failure. Expect them to stick to the same combination.

Probable XI: Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan

South Africa

Aiden Markram is still out with Covid, not that a batting order that performed so well in Delhi should be disturbed. The half of it that was required to chase down South Africa's record target, anyway. But Keshav Maharaj, unlucky though he was in the first match, might make way for Lungi Ngidi.

Probable XI:Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma (c), Dwaine Pretorius, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi

Did You Know:

- Shreyas Iyer is India's leading run-getter in T20Is this year (265 runs in 5 innings). Ishan Kishan is close second (252 runs).

- Quinton de Kock vs India in T20Is: 4 Innings | 159 runs | 143.20 SR

What They Said:

"It was a great win the other night and we'll take a lot of confidence from that, but it's a brand new venue with new conditions." -Wayne Parnell on Barabati Stadium, where only two T20Is have been played.

"We discussed what went wrong. It was just the first match of the series and everyone is coming out of the IPL, and almost everyone who is in the team had a good season (in IPL). We just spoke about what needs to be done in the 2nd game and where we can improve. It wasn't a big discussion because anyone can have an off-day. As a bowling unit we had an off-day, and we just want to come back in the next match." - Bhuvneshwar Kumar