SA vs IND 2018, 5th ODI, Port Elizabeth: South Africa's Predicted XI

With the enthralling win at the Wanderers, South Africa kept themselves alive in their bid to level the series which the visitors lead by 3-1. The focus now tilts towards the picturesque St. George’s Park at Port Elizabeth which hosts the 5th ODI.

The Proteas would be buoyed by the presence of their ace batsman AB de Villiers yet again who made a significant impact already in the series. Let us look at the predicted XI of South Africa for the 5th ODI against India.

Aiden Markram

Markram looked in a good nick during his brief stint at the crease at the Wanderers. With the win under his belt, one would expect the South African captain would translate the confidence into his batting.

A substantial knock from South Africa’s stand-in captain remains due in the series.

Hashim Amla

Just when Amla was getting back into his groove with his cameo up front, the opener fell victim to a brilliant catch from Bhuvneshvar Kumar.

The good news for the South African fans is that Amla was able to see out the initial ten overs without giving his wicket away to the incoming ball in the last match. With a player of the calibre of Amla, a big one is always round the corner.

Jean-Paul Duminy

JP Duminy for the third time in the series became the victim of Kuldeep Yadav. The more concerning fact for JP is that three of the four dismissals have been leg before and four out of four to the wrist spinners.

Clearly, Duminy has struggled to pick up the wrist-spinners and needs to combat the two with a different strategy. Hopefully, he would dominate in the upcoming game at Port Elizabeth.

AB de Villiers

With the presence of AB de Villiers in the South African squad, one could see the buoyancy in the Protean camp. De Villiers, through his brief innings at Jo’burg, showed the way to combat the dreaded wrist spinners.

He smashed a couple of sixes and boundary in his cameo of 26 which boosted the confidence of the middle-order. In the upcoming match, ABD would be the key factor again.

David Miller

The match-winning inning at Jo’burg would do Miller a world of good for his confidence, as he smashed a 28-ball 39, throwing the counterpunch to the Indian spinners. The home side would dearly wish that Killer Miller continues his onslaught in the upcoming match.

Heinrich Klaasen (wk)

The man of the match from the previous game announced himself in the international arena and justified his place into the national side in the absence of de Kock.

Through his unorthodox shots, he caused a fair amount of panic in the head of young Chahal and Kuldeep. Hopefully, his 27-ball 47 will inspire the rest of the batsman to come up with a similar effort.

Chris Morris

Chris Morris yet again was on the expensive side in the previous match but picked up the crucial wicket of Virat Kohli who was going great guns on 75. His services with the bat did not get explored in the previous match.

Morris has lost a fair amount of pace in the recent matches. The bowling unit would hope he starts bowling at 145 clicks soon.

Andile Phehlukwayo

Phehlukwayo came out as a surprise package for the Indians in the last match, as he delivered the knockout punch with the help of his five-ball 23 runs blitzkrieg.

Just like Klaasen, he went on to show why he is so highly rated in the in domestic cricket. It was heartening to see he could transpire his reputation from the Ram Slam T20 Challenge into the International stage.

Kagiso Rabada

Just like Virat Kohli in the Indian camp, Rabada had performed for his team every time he had stepped onto the field. He has made Rohit Sharma his bunny up front and picked up crucial wickets at the death without giving away many.

Throughout the tour, it has been the riveting rivalry between Virat Kohli and Kagiso Rabada which has engaged the audience.

Morne Morkel

With the inclusion of Morkel into the South African bowling lineup, all of the sudden the bowling unit appeared a different unit briefly, before the likes of Dhawan and Kohli displayed their authority on a batting paradise. He picked up the wicket of Dhawan who was looking to fill his boot up with as many as possible.

Imran Tahir

Whatever be the condition in Port Elizabeth, Imran Tahir should be included in the XI. With Tahir in the ranks, South Africa eliminates the monotony in their bowling attack and induces a variety. One should expect Tahir in the side, given the nature of pitch at Port Elizabeth.