Pacers In the Spotlight As India and South Africa Clash In A Dead Rubber
Overview
Usually, a dead rubber doesn’t interest the fans much. But that’s not the case here. It will be the last T20I for both teams before the start of the T20 World Cup in Australia. There is much to look forward to in this match for both teams as World Cup preparations have entered the final leg.
The Indian team will be delighted after successive series wins at home. The way their batsmen have performed must boost their morale going into the mega event. The spinners have also been exceptional, so India has got these two bases covered.
But, the pace department may concern them a little. After performing refreshingly well in the series opener, their pacers went for plenty in the next game. Arshdeep and Harshal conceded 62 and 45 runs, respectively, in their 4 overs. The last 10 overs of the chase went for a whopping 151 runs. Indian fans would expect their bowlers to perform better at the death in the next game.
Quite similarly, South African pacers had a terrible day on the field. The 15 overs bowled by them went for a massive 201 runs. Although the conditions in India are quite hard for fast bowlers, these figures are still unacceptable.
Another worrying sign is their inability to take advantage of the field restrictions in the first 6 overs. Bavuma and Rossouw are yet to open their account on this tour, and De Kock got stuck while batting in the powerplay.
With only a few days left before the start of ICC T20 WC, both teams need to iron out these kinks from their game.
Weather and Conditions
There are no chances of rain, and the weather and playing conditions will be ideal for the game.
The wicket at Holkar Stadium, Indore, usually suits the batters and the highest T20I score at this venue is 260 by India vs Sri Lanka. So, we might be in for another high-scoring game on Tuesday.
Players To Keep An Eye On
Deepak Chahar continued his fine form in the 2nd T20I against South Africa. Conceding just 24 runs in a run-fest will boost his confidence, and another good outing can put him in contention for a place in India’s first-choice XI.
Keshav Maharaj returned with astonishing figures of 23 for 2 on a batting paradise. Considering the Aussie conditions, SA might play just one spinner, and Maharaj can edge ahead of Shamsi with another impressive performance.
Key Match-Ups
Pant vs Maharaj
Pant hasn’t been given a proper opportunity in the T20I side for a long time. So, the next game might see him batting up the order, and he would be itching to go big against the left-arm spinner.
Bavuma vs Chahar
Chahar has bowled 10 deliveries against the Proteas skipper in this series. He has got Bavuma out once and hasn’t allowed him to score even a single run against him. Chahar would aim to get him out again in the last game of the series to own their match-up superiority.
Team News
India
After securing the series, India will look to test their bench strength in the final encounter.
Probable XI: KL Rahul/Rohit Sharma (c), Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar/Arshdeep Singh
South Africa
Having already lost the series, South Africa will also tinker with the team.
Probable XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kagiso Rabada/Anrich Nortje
What They Said?
“It shows why David Miller is one of the best T20 batters going around. He is looking good, feeling good and we can draw a lot of confidence from his performance today.”
David Miller was praised generously by his skipper for one of the all-time great T20I knocks.
“But the game surprises us. I am surprised I am getting the Man of the Match award, Surya should have gotten it. He changed the game. Having batted in the middle order, I have realized that it is difficult.”
KL Rahul was surprised to get the Man of the Match award ahead of SYK.
