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Xtra Time Web Desk: Rishabh Pant led India will look to bounce back against the Proteas in the second T20I at Barabati stadium in Cuttack on Sunday. The Men in Blue are trailing 0-1 in the five-match series after being comprehensively outplayed in the first T20 at Delhi.

All eyes will be on captain Rishabh Pant as he has looked unimpressive in the first T20I. Seen as a future white-ball captain, Pant’s stakes have suddenly come down post-IPL and that has coincided with the resurgence of Hardik Pandya. The all rounder was excellent as Gujarat Titans captain, leading the franchise to its maiden IPL 2022 title. Amid the growing chorus of ‘Hardik Pandya — the next white-ball captain of India’, Pant will be under scrutiny again as he masterminds a comeback.

The big headache for Pant would be the fast-bowling department where he would have to make a call between new faces Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik. While the batting looks in perfect shape, the new-look pace department looked flat in the series opener.

Experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar did not look the same and leaked runs in the death overs, while Harshal Patel too was taken to cleaners. Avesh Khan too failed to impress though he was the most economical among the trio.

With the duo of Arshdeep and Malik trying hard to impress at the nets with their pace and accuracy it is likely that one among the duo may be well set for a debut on Saturday.

It would not be an easy task as another slip-up would mean the Pant-led side would have the difficult task of winning three in a row.