IND vs SA: 3rd Test Preview – Deflated Proteas seek inspiration against dominant hosts
From losing the toss to losing players to form and freak injuries, nothing seems to be going right for the Proteas at the moment. Their captain Faf du Plessis is running out of ideas to stop the juggernaut that the Indian Test team has become. Virat Kohli’s men have left no stone unturned in becoming masters of their own den thanks to their commendable performances. Having already sealed the series at Pune, India (11) have now surpassed Australia (10) as the team to win the most consecutive Test series at home.
Their opponents, though not the strongest side to have toured India, were expected to go down but not without putting up a tough fight. They did so, in bits and pieces across the two Tests but couldn’t really capitalise on it. With all his experience of playing in Asian conditions, skipper du Plessis should have ideally anchored their batting. With two fifties and a highest score of 64, his returns have been anything but impressive. It was, in fact, the tailenders who showed better application with the bat than the top order combined. They took advantage of India’s weakness against the tail and batted with resistance.
The onus also squarely fell on the shoulders of Kagiso Rabada, the leader of their pace attack, to make early dents into India’s star-studded batting line-up. But Rabada has been far from his best, and that has had ripple effects on the rest of the attack. Vernon Philander, with not much help from the conditions, has been rendered ineffective for the most part.
Match info
India vs South Africa, 3rd Test
JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi (09:30 AM IST)
If there’s one team that needs the weather gods to hear them, it’s the Proteas. Thunderstorms and rains are predicted for all five days, so we’d be lucky to get a full-fledged affair.
Head-to-Head
Played: 38
India wins: 13
South Africa wins: 15
Draws: 10
Team News
India
Why fix what is not broken? The Indian team is functioning like a well-oiled machine that requires no tampering whatsoever. Their spin prowess is at peak with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja bowling in perfect tandem. The addition of Umesh Yadav has brought some fire to the pace attack comprising of Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. Their batting looks power-packed with an in-form Mayank Agarwal, a dangerous Rohit Sharma and a pumped-up Virat Kohli. The pitch in Pune wasn’t tailor-made to suit the hosts, yet India ended up dominating proceedings. This Indian team is capable of winning matches on all kinds of wickets.
South Africa
Aiden Markram’s horror tour came to an abrupt end with his own hands, err… hand. The Proteas opener smashed his hand at a ‘solid object’ after his dismissal in the second Test. Scans confirmed Markram sustained a wrist fracture that has ruled him out of the final Test. Expect a couple of changes in the South African batting line-up, with Zubayr Hamza possibly replacing Markram at the top. They could also try bringing in Heinrich Klaasen for Theunis de Bruyn who hasn’t impressed much. The wicket at Ranchi generally tends to be flat and dry, so if the toss goes South Africa’s way, they could draw first blood with a huge first innings score.
Probable XI
India: M Agarwal, R Sharma, C Pujara, V Kohli (c), A Rahane, W Saha (wk), R Jadeja, R Ashwin, I Sharma, M Shami, U Yadav
South Africa: D Elgar, Z Hamza, T Bavuma, Faf du Plessis (c), Heinrich Klaasen, Quinton de Kock (wk), V Philander, S Muthusamy, K Maharaj, K Rabada, A Nortje
