Last Update on: January 11th, 2022 at 09:30 am
India are set to take on South Africa in the third and final Test match of the three-match series, starting from 11th January 2021. The Indian Cricket Team exhibited a sensational performance with both bat and ball in the first Test and won that game by a big margin of 113 runs. However, they couldn’t replicate a similar performance in the second Test and went on to lose that game by 7 wickets.
KL Rahul has been the standout batsmen for them in the series. He scored a century in the first innings of the Test match. In the last Test, he scored a half-century off 133 balls, including 9 fours. He will be the biggest bet for India in the batting department. His partner, Mayank Agarwal got out on 20s in both the innings of the second Test. India would be hoping that he scores a big knock in the series-deciding Test match.
India’s biggest worry right now is the middle order’s poor form. Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara both scored half-centuries in the last innings of the second Test. However, whether they be able to continue that form in the third Test remains to be seen. India’s full-time captain, Virat Kohli missed the second Test due to an injury. He will come back into the side and Hanuma Vihari is likely to miss out from the playing XI.
With the ball, Mohammed Shami has been the standout bowler for India. He has been outstanding thus far in the series. Shami picked a five-for in the first Test and followed it up with 3 wickets in the second Test.
Given that Bumrah hasn’t had a lot of success in the series thus far, Shami will have a lot of responsibility on his shoulders to pick the bulk of the wickets. The third seamer, Mohammed Siraj picked up a hamstring injury in the second Test and is likely to miss the final Test of the series. It will be interesting to see who replaces him in the playing XI.
South Africa on the other hand looked a lot better in the second Test than in the first. All the batsmen in the top-five are amongst the runs and these are positive signs for them. Dean Elgar has led the way with the bat. He played one of the best knocks of his Test career in his last innings of the second Test. Add to that, he has a terrific record at Cape Town and one can expect him to have a big impact with the bat, once again, in the final Test.
South African bowlers bowled really well in the third Test and they wouldn’t want to change the bowling combination for the third Test. Kagiso Rabada will be their biggest bet with the ball. Olivier made an immediate impact on his comeback and South Africa is likely to persist with him in the final Test. Besides, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen too are in fine form and should hold on to their places as well.
Both teams have world-class players in their team but South Africa have the momentum on their side going into the third Test. India, however, is likely to come hard at the hosts. Nevertheless, the fans are going to witness a cracker of a contest in Cape Town.
SA vs IND Prediction- Who Will Win the Match Between India vs South Africa, India vs South Africa 2021-22, 3rd Test
Teams Head to Head Records: Tests
| Stats | Matches | IND Win | SA Won | Draw |
| Overall | 41 | 15 | 16 | 10 |
| At The Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| In the last 5 matches | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Toss Prediction for the 2nd Test of the Test Series
The team winning the toss is likely to bat first.
Recent venue records (Records at Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town)
STATS – TEST
| Total matches | 58 |
| Matches won batting first | 23 |
| Matches won bowling first | 24 |
| Average 1st Inns scores | 328 |
| Average 2nd Inns scores | 296 |
| Average 3rd Inns scores | 235 |
| Average 4th Inns scores | 161 |
| Highest total recorded | 651/10 (154.3 Ov) by RSA vs AUS |
| Lowest total recorded | 35/10 (22.4 Ov) by RSA vs ENG |
India:
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Batting
| Players | Matches | Runs | Average |
| Mayank Agarwal | 2 | 113 | 28.25 |
| KL Rahul | 2 | 204 | 51.00 |
| Virat Kohli | 1 | 53 | 26.50 |
| Rishabh Pant | 2 | 59 | 14.75 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 2 | 126 | 31.50 |
| Cheteshwar Pujara | 2 | 72 | 18.00 |
Who will score the most runs for India in the match: KL Rahul or Virat Kohli
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Bowling
| Players | Matches | Wickets | Average |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 2 | 6 | 30.83 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 2 | 3 | 38.67 |
| Mohammed Shami | 2 | 11 | 19.45 |
| M Siraj | 2 | 3 | 51.00 |
| Ishant Sharma | – | – | – |
| Shardul Thakur | 2 | 10 | 17.00 |
Who will pick the most wickets for India in the match: Jasprit Bumrah or Mohammed Shami
South Africa:
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Batting
| Players | Matches | Runs | Average |
| Dean Elgar | 2 | 202 | 67.33 |
| Aiden Markram | 2 | 52 | 13.00 |
| Rassie van der Dussen | 2 | 55 | 13.75 |
| Quinton de Kock | 1 | 55 | 27.50 |
| Temba Bavuma | 2 | 161 | 80.50 |
| K Petersen | 2 | 122 | 30.50 |
Who will score the most runs for South Africa in the match: Dean Elgar or Temba Bavuma
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Bowling
| Players | Matches | Wickets | Average |
| Kagiso Rabada | 2 | 13 | 19.62 |
| Lungi Ngidi | 2 | 11 | 15.55 |
| Keshav Maharaj | 2 | 0 | |
| Duanne Olivier | 1 | 4 | 28.75 |
| Marco Jansen | 1 | 12 | 18.50 |
Who will the pick most wickets for South Africa in the match: Kagiso Rabada or Lungi Ngidi
