Gill Under Pressure in Mullanpur, India Ready to Maintain Dominance

Shubman Gill, who has yet to establish his dominance in the shortest format, will be looking to make a big breakthrough at home as he aims to further strengthen his dominance over South Africa in the second T20 International in Malanpur on Thursday. With just one travel day between the first two matches of the five-match series, Gill will have no problem getting straight to the field in search of a big innings. India defeated South Africa in the series opener, but Gill's mediocre performance since returning to T20 cricket in the Asia Cup in September has been a topic of discussion.

Following a stellar debut as Test captain in the UK, Gill was brought back into the T20 setup. While Sanju Samson and his Punjab teammate Abhishek Sharma were performing well as openers, the team management showed great confidence in Gill's ability as a T20 opener. The Kerala batsman (Samson) was dropped and has since struggled to find a place in the playing XI.

The Test and ODI captain could easily fill the role Virat Kohli played for India until last year's T20 World Cup, but the team, which has batting options up to number eight, has doubled down on its fearless approach after the victory in Barbados, leaving less room for an anchor batsman. Gill certainly can't play as fast as Abhishek Sharma in the powerplay, and so he will have to figure out what works best for him.

Apart from Gill, captain Suryakumar Yadav is also facing extra scrutiny, having failed to find consistency over the past 12 months. In a few months, Suryakumar will lead India's World Cup defense at home, and given the increased responsibility, his runs ahead of the ICC showpiece are a crucial piece of the puzzle.

In the cold conditions of New Chandigarh, India are unlikely to make any changes to their winning combination. Hardik Pandya, who returned from injury to national duty, has cemented his place as the leading all-rounder in the game. His 59 off 28 balls made a huge difference on a difficult wicket, while it took him just one ball to make an impact with the ball.

Tuesday's selection also revealed that two strike bowlers, Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav, will not be part of the same XI, as the batting position needed to be shifted to number eight. Arshdeep Singh seized the opportunity, and India's leading wicket-taker in this format once again took early wickets while bowling alongside Jasprit Bumrah.

South Africa, on the other hand, will be hoping for a better performance with the bat after being bowled out for 74 while chasing a target of 176. There's no time to dwell on the size of the defeat, and that can only be a good thing for the visitors.

• Captain Aiden Markram said, "In T20 cricket these days, there's not much time to look around and think. But the biggest thing was clearly not being able to build partnerships, not being able to recover after losing wickets, and not being able to build momentum. So yeah, we'll have a little chat."

After hosting two women's ODIs in September, the venue will host its first T20 International. During the last IPL, the pitches weren't easy to bat on, with scores ranging from over 200 to 101. Along with this match, stands will also be opened in the names of Yuvraj Singh and Harmanpreet Kaur.