PUNE, Oct 9: Improving on near perfection would be India�s aim while building on the small positives from a huge loss will be South Africa�s focus when the two mismatched sides clash in the second Test starting here from Thursday.
Virat Kohli�s men ticked almost all the boxes during their 203-run win in the opening encounter in Visakhapatnam and they would like to maintain the same intensity in their bid to seal the series in Pune itself.
It is difficult to improve upon a perfect show but trust Kohli to find a new challenge for his team in his pursuit of excellence. It certainly won�t be a bad idea against an opposition which doesn�t have the wherewithal to pose consistent challenge over five days.
Rohit Sharma 2.0�s blockbuster re-entry into Test arena as an opener with twin hundreds was a calculated punt, that worked wonderfully well first up for Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri.
With Mayank Agarwal also showing signs of making every chance count, as he did with his maiden double hundred in Visakhapatnam, India�s opening woes at least (in home conditions) for the next four Tests (two vs Bangladesh next month) could be history for the time being.
The heavy duty batting line-up that also includes Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari would look to make a heftier contribution if the pitch at the Gahunje Stadium aids batsmen. � PTI
Teams (from):
India (XI): Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Chesteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami.
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Theunis de Bruyn, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wk), Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Vernon Philander, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Piedt, Senuran Muthusamy, Zubayr Hamza, Heinrich Klaasen, Anrich Nortje.
Match starts 9.30 am.
