After suffering a defeat in the first ODI of the series at Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, the Indian team has now reached Ranchi to play the second ODI of the series. This is going to be a do-or-die match for the Men in Blue as the series is currently on the line. Coming to South Africa, the proteas are yet to qualify for the 2023 ODI World Cup, and thus, this series is going to be a massive one for Temba Bavuma and his men.

However, even with a defeat on their back, the Indian players look relaxed and fresh before the second ODI. They received a warm welcome from the host city as Shikhar Dhawan and his men were acknowledged by every fan at the airport. Some even waved their hands with wide smiles on their faces.

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Upon reaching the team hotel, the Indian players were given a traditional welcome with some music, and dance and were also greeted with tilak. The governing body of Indian cricket, BCCI shared the video on their social media account of their entire journey from Lucknow to Ranchi.

Touchdown Ranchi 📍#TeamIndia | #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/HCgIQ9pk0M

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 8, 2022

With the ODI World Cup scheduled to take place next year, players have a massive opportunity to prove themselves and get into the main squad. However, not a lot of them stepped up on the occasion in the last match. Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, and Shardul Thakur looked positive with the bat while the top order’s conservative approach was heavily criticized.

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Fielding once again was the worst part of the match from India’s point of view. They dropped a few sitters towards the end of the match and that helped David Miller and Heinrich Klassen put up a total of 249 onboard after 40 overs. There is a lot of room for improvement as India aims to make a solid comeback to level up the series.