SA vs IND: Match Preview, South Africa vs India 2022, 3rd ODI

India take on South Africa in the third one-day international on Sunday at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town. South Africa showcased brilliant all-round performance in both the ODI series to seal the series 2-0.

They would look to register a series whitewash, while India would be keen to salvage some pride. Here’s a look at how both teams shape up ahead of the final match of the South African tour.

SA vs IND: Match Preview, South Africa vs India 2022, 3rd ODI

India:

India have shown disappointing performance in both the ODIs of the series. Batting once again was below-par. India managed to reach 287 runs in the first innings but the middle-order continues to disappoint. Virat Kohli, the former Indian skipper, got out without even opening his account.

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Shreyas Iyer (11 off 14) endured a low score for the second consecutive occasion, while Venkatesh Iyer (22 off 33) failed to convert a promising start into a big score.

Rishabh Pant’s 85-run knock in 71 balls was, perhaps, the only bright spot in the batting performance. Ahead of the third and final ODI of the series, India could think of bringing Suryakumar Yadav in a bid to bolster the batting department.

India’s bowling too lacked application and didn’t look threatening at all. The bowlers weren’t able to pick a single wicket for the first two overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was hammered all around the park for the second consecutive occasion.

Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal’s inability to pick wickets in the middle-overs let South Africa dominate in both games. Both have only managed to pick one wicket each in two ODIs. One shouldn’t get surprised if India make a host of changes in the bowling department.

South Africa:

It won’t be wrong to say that India had underestimated this solid South African bowling unit. The Proteas are playing the ODI series without the services of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, yet they didn’t miss them one bit.

South Africa spinners were brilliant in the middle-overs and that led to India’s undoing in the series. The trio of Shamsi, Maharaj, and Markram have put a check on India’s scoring rate and also picked crucial wickets to break the visitor’s momentum in the series.

They picked four wickets in the second ODI. India, as a result, couldn’t post the total that they were looking to. Ahead of the third ODI, South African spinners are, once again, likely to be the biggest threats for Indian batsmen.

All the top five batsmen are imperious form and that should make South Africa favorites for the third ODI as well. Quinton de Kock (78 off 66) and Janneman Malan (91 off 108) set the tone for the run-chase.

Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram played match-winning knocks in the last game, while Aiden Markram played an unbeaten 37-run knock in 41 balls in the last ODI.