IND vs SA: 3rd T20I Preview – Proteas in search of victory as India look to seal series
With a comprehensive 7-wicket win in the second match, the Men in Blue have taken a 1-0 lead in the T20I series against South Africa. On Sunday, the Proteas will have one last opportunity to draw level but they will have to first get past their self-created obstacle – the infamous ‘C’ word.
On Wednesday, Proteas captain Quinton de Kock got off to a flyer on what looked like a good batting wicket at Mohali. It was just the start South Africa needed. Reeza Hendricks fell early, but de Kock and Temba Bavuma joined hands to up the ante. Soon, their run-rate slowed down in the middle overs after losing half-centurion de Kock. Despite Bavuma’s best efforts to keep the scoreboard ticking, South Africa ended up posting a paltry 149 on the board. This, after they still had pinch-hitters David Miller and Dwaine Pretorious in the line-up.
In response, the Indian batsmen hardly broke any sweat and completed the run chase inside 19 overs. Shikhar Dhawan’s fiery 40 was followed up by Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 72 to seal a convincing victory. As both teams clash in the final T20I, the visitors will be keen to carry their T20 momentum to Test cricket.
Match info
India vs South Africa: 3rd T20I, September 22
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru (07:00 PM IST)
Head-to-Head
Played – 14
India wins – 9
South Africa wins – 5
Team news
India
There’s not much for a near-perfect Team India to worry about. Their experimentation of playing finger spinners in place of wrist spinners seems to be working fine for now. Deepak Chahar with the new ball has been impressive, to say the least. The only thing that the team management can and should refrain from doing is to send Rishabh Pant ahead of Shreyas Iyer at No.4. Especially when the coach and captain have gone all-out in attributing that position to Iyer, who is the right fit. In T20 run chases, particularly the high-scoring ones, Pant is the ideal candidate to come and finish the job at No.5. India should go in with an unchanged playing XI.
South Africa
The Proteas really need to take a hard look at their strategy in the shortest format. Senior players like David Miller ought to take more responsibility of a team that’s going through a transition of sorts. With de Kock’s return to form, they can be assured of a decent start and Bavuma’s T20I debut has been nothing short of impressive. But the other areas need to improve as well. Kagiso Rabada has been leading the pace attack single-handedly. He could do with some support from the other upcoming bowlers. With the series on the line, expect a couple of changes in the side.
Probable XI
India: R Sharma, S Dhawan, V Kohli (c), S Iyer, R Pant (wk), H Pandya, K Pandya, W Sundar, R Jadeja, D Chahar, N Saini
South Africa: Q de Kock (c), R Hendricks, T Bavuma, R van der Dussen, D Miller, A Phehlukwayo, D Pretorius, K Rabada, G Linde/B Fortuin, J Dala/A Nortje, T Shamsi
