South Africa VS India, 3rd ODI

India's character would be tested in this game. ©AFP

The Picture

After a wonderful start to their tour claiming their first test victory in Centurion in the first test at the end of last year, the rest of the tour has been a nightmare for them and India are yet to win even a single game in the new year across formats. India batted first and managed to score 287 courtesy a counter attacking 85 by Rishabh Pant but that wasn't a problem for the Proteas as they strolled to the target with 11 balls and 7 wickets to spare. Janneman Malan and Quinton DeKock's fifties helped South Africa in chasing down the target without much fuss. India thus have a lot of questions to be answered. Starting with, What's wrong with KL Rahul the swashbuckling player of yesteryear? He is playing just like he played as the captain of PBKS and that seems to be costing the team even after the start provided by Dhawan and the impetus by Pant. How have the Indian spinners failed after getting tracks like the ones they play at home? The South African spinners have outbowled their Indian counterparts and have been head and shoulders above both Chahal and Ashwin. What's been even more surprising is that Aiden Markram has gotten away with bowling 14 overs picking 2 wickets at a commendable economy of 4.63. India's middle order is also a cause of concern with both the Iyer's struggling and India are also lacking a genuine all rounder who can slot in as a third frontline bowler if any of the others have an off day. The South African's have had an excellent tour with their batsmen among the runs, bowlers picking up wickets and the results in their favour. The only thing they will hope to change is the batting form of Aiden Markram, their best player in the 2021 T20 worldcup. His 37 in the last game should give him that much needed confidence to strike big on Sunday.

With the series lost and only pride to play for, India will need to put their best foot forward and will hope to close out a horrendous tour with a win. They have a chance to give the youngsters a shot and also set right the mistakes they commited at Paarl. They would also hope that their former captain Virat Kohli gets back to his run machine-esque days and does what he did best by scoring centuries. They will also hope that their bowlers pick wickets with the new ball and batsmen deliver on their abilities. South Africa have a chance to whitewash India in a series which albeit being inconsequential owing to the lack of Worldcup super league points, shows the Proteas how they have risen after having a tough last year in the format. They have also shown that they have been able to handle the off-field controversies better than their opponents and that has shown the true character of this team. Can India salvage a win and gain some lost pride or will the Proteas trample the visitors yet again and do one better than the test series only time will tell.

When:  23 January 2022, Sunday

Time:   2:00 P.M(IST)

Where: Newlands, Cape Town

Team News

South Africa

The hosts who have won the series, wouldn't need to do any changes unless they want to give Ngidi a much deserved break after he played all tour.

Probable XI: Janneman Malan, Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Wayne Parnell/ Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Sisanda Magala, Tabraiz Shamsi

India

The visitors might make a couple of changes with Bumrah likely to be rested after playing all the games until now and even Bhuvneshwar Kumar after his horrid outing last game. Suryakumar Yadav and Ruturaj Gaikwad may get a game as well.

Probable XI: KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan/ Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav/ Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Shardul Thakur, R Ashwin, Deepak Chahar/ Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Pitch and Playing Conditions

Even though still warm, Cape Town will come as a blessing for both teams with peak temperatures clocking at 31 degrees, significantly cooler than Paarl. The pitch will also be good for the batsmen and the fast bowlers will also have something in it for them to exploit after the last 2 games were played on slow tracks.

Interesting Facts

• India have the worst powerplay numbers in the last 23 ODI's they have played, picking 10 wickets at an average and economy of 132.10 and 5.74 respectively, easily the worst among the top ten nations including Zimbabwe.