India will be looking to end their tour of South Africa with a victory in the third and final T20I at Cape Town on Saturday.
After losing the Test series 2-1, India cruised past the Proteas in the ODIs with a 5-1 victory margin. In the T20Is, they started on a good note by sealing the first match, before the hosts came back to level the series at 1-1. India will look to recover and close out this eight-week long tour with a comprehensive T20 series win.
Meanwhile, JP Duminy-led South Africa bounced back in Centurion with a six-wicket win and will want to take the chunk of the cake and not allow the visitors to dictate proceedings. The Proteas skipper played a match-winning knock in the last encounter and will want to lead by example in this match too. Therefore the decider is set to have all the ingredients of a blockbuster tie.
It's a bit gloomy here @NewlandsCricket but that's not stopping the team. Hard prep on the go ahead of the series-decider tomorrow #SAvIND #KFCT20I pic.twitter.com/gasBOTWdeF
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) February 23, 2018
STAT ATTACK:
- India have never played T20 cricket at Newlands
- The Proteas have played 8 T20Is, and lost 5 of them in this venue
- Manish Pandey is yet to be dismissed in the T20I series
Team news and selection
India
Comeback man Suresh Raina, who had 15-run blitz in the first encounter, followed it with a good-looking 30 in the second. The veteran southpaw at No. 3 has looked good in this position and these runs under the belt will help him further. Rohit Sharma too will be looking to liven up the stage alongside in-form partner Shikhar Dhawan.
With Manish Pandey and MS Dhoni in good touch, the lower middle order of India look well settled. Pandey has been the chief architecture with some power hitting and consistency.
ALSO READ: Klaasen, Duminy Heroics See South Africa Draw Level Terms In T20I Series
In the bowling department, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the rock for the visitors with some excellent shape and length. He is set again to lead the show with Jasprit Bumrah likely miss out with the abdominal strain that kept him out in the last match.
Jaidev Unadkat and Shardul Thakur will add the support to Bhuvi. With Yuzvendra Chahal going for the cleaners at Centurion, one might see Kuldeep Yadav take his place.
Duminy will be happy with his side’s response and hope the players can keep up with the fine work. David Miller’s poor run of form is a problem for the hosts and he needs to get vital runs and give South Africa stability in the middle-order.
Reeza Hendricks (70) played a valiant knock in the first match and followed it up with a brisk start in the second. Therefore it will be crucial for him to go all guns blazing and look to bat as long as possible. His partner Jon-Jon Smuts hasn’t come good yet despite his big-hitting prowess, has struggled to keep going.
With Heinrich Klaasen in prime form, all eyes will be on the swashbuckling hitter once again especially against India’s spinners. Their bowling has looked good in the last game and one expects no change.
Pitch and conditions
Newlands strip is expected to have plenty of runs in it. Reports state that it is likely to be a cool day in Cape Town, with temperatures below 20 degrees. There is a chance of some shower but that is not expected to hurt the match’s progression.
Match time: 9:30 pm