Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Time: 2:00 PM IST
Average score at venue (1st inns): 241
Win percentage while batting first: NA
Pitch conditions:
- The pitch at Newlands, Cape Town is expected to favour fast bowlers with an average score of 241 being recorded by teams at this venue. Out of the 43 matches played here, 28 have been won by teams batting first.
- Fast bowlers have a wicket-share percentage of 77.42% at Newlands whereas spin bowlers have taken 22.58% of the wickets here.
Weather prediction:
Both India and South Africa will get some respite from extreme heat and temperature that they encountered in the first two ODIs at Paarl. The temperature on Sunday afternoon will hit a high of 30°C around 1 o'clock post noon, following which it will keep dropping down steadily to finish at around 21°C by the time the game gets over. The humidity level will reach around 65-80% during the match hours on Sunday.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD (overall):
Matches played: 86
India won: 35
South Africa won: 48
No result: 3
In South Africa:
Matches played: 36
India won: 10
South Africa won: 24
No result: 2
Top 3 players from India: KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant
Top 3 players from South Africa: Janneman Malan, Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each):
Top 5 players from India: KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli
Top 5 players from South Africa: Janneman Malan, Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi
Q&A:
Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
It is a series which truly belongs to batsmen. Both India and South Africa have plenty of firepower in the bank, but it is the home side which has clearly produced better results thanks to various batsmen making big and important runs at different stages. For South Africa, Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen scored vital centuries in the first ODI to set up an impressive victory, whereas in the second game, opening batsman Janneman Malan and Quinton De Kock put on a superb stand of 132 runs for the first wicket to defy India's challenge. Adding more to batting strength will be the key for the third ODI to be played at Newlands in Cape Town, given that it is a venue which tends to favour fast bowlers.
From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
South Africa have recorded four victories on the trot against this Indian team across two formats, playing better cricket all around. The home team batsmen have been able to put behind the disappointment to produce plenty of runs in both the matches so far, whereas South Africa's bowling has been tidy and disciplined enough to keep India under the pump for majority of the time. Given how the home team has fared against one of the best and formidable opponents in the world, South Africa are certainly the stronger side and should have more players featuring in the fantasy playing XI.
MORE INFORMATION: With the series already lost, a tired and disappointed Indian team would look to try out the fresh talent on the bench in their last match of the tour. The senior seam bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been a disappointment so far, and so is the case with Ravichandran Ashwin who has been costly in both the matches while taking only one wicket. India have plenty of options to pick from and their huge touring party and some changes for the third and final ODI can be expected, with the likes of Ruturaj Gaekwad, Prasidh Krishna and Deepak Chahar waiting in the wings.
Players’ form: Team India is not struggling with individual form of players as much as it has concerns regarding players clicking together as a unit. The middle-order has failed to stitch partnerships whereas crucial moments of advantage have been lost without any degree of resistance from the visiting side. On the other hand, the bowlers have looked listless and tired having played plenty of cricket over the last six months or so. On the other hand, South Africa will be mighty pleased with the way things have panned out for them in this series, where they have had multiple players chipping in with vital contributions at different stages.
Changes in squad (if any): NO
Likely XIs:
INDIA: KL Rahul (c), Shikhar Dhawan/Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer/Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna, Deepak Chahar.
SOUTH AFRICA: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Janneman Malan, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Sisanda Magala, Tabraiz Shamsi, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi.
Fantasy XI: KL Rahul (c), Quinton de Kock, Virat Kohli, Rassie van der Dussen, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Andile Phehlukwayo, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Keshav Maharaj.
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India look to salvage pride in last match of South Africa tour
For India to lose two series consecutively on a specific tour is indeed a thing of the past. Over the last five years or so, the Indian team has become one of the best while on the road, winning away tours to South Africa (ODIs) and Australia (Tests) while producing impressive cricket in England. But India's tour of South Africa 2021-22 will be remembered as a failure given that the team not only lost matches consecutively, but also failed to play cricket the way they can, and fight as long and hard as only they can.
India's bowlers have certainly looked the biggest casualty in a season full of cricket both home and away. For a team which has been screaming out loud for a long and quality break from cricket without literally doing it, Sunday presents yet another opportunity and challenge to end their losing streak of four matches on the trot against an inspired and upcoming South African team.
South Africa hammered India by 7 wickets once again, this time in the second ODI to clinch the series and prove that they are on the right track after all that has transpired for them on and off the field. Janneman Malan has continued to rake up the runs for South Africa but the return to form for Quinton de Kock — who played an extremely aggressive knock in the second ODI — should bolster the home side further as they look to make it 3-0 against India.
After India's big guns with the bat and Virat Kohli and Shikhar Shikhar Dhawan failed in the second ODI, half-centuries from Rishabh Pant (85) and KL Rahul (55) were not enough even though bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur scored 40 not out to push the team’s total to a competitive 287/6 in their 50 overs in the second ODI at Paarl in the company of Ashwin.
But India's senior players such as Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin have looked out of sorts as their ordinary performances so the team losing two back-to-back ODIs and resultantly the series. Once again, talks have started making rounds that if Bhuvneshwar is past his best days in cricket and for how long should the team persist with Ashwin, given that his presence at No 7 also makes the batting look thinner for 50-over cricket.
India's batsmen have also been failing repeatedly as far as putting up impactful partnerships is concerned. Having survived a comical run out chance against South Africa, the pair of Pant and Rahul did well to add 115 runs for the third wicket in the second ODI, but the following batsmen could not capitalize on the advantage.
The Indian cricket finds itself mired deep in crisis with both on and off-field issues, but the team is certainly one good performance away from ending the tour with a win.
