India vs South Africa: Match Preview – South Africa Tour of India 2022, 3rd T20I

India takes on South Africa in the third T20I in Visakhapatnam on June 14, Tuesday. The hosts are trailing the series 0-2 after losing the first two T20Is on the trot. A loss in Vizag will mean India will lose the T20I series against the Proteas after losing the ODI and the Test series against them earlier this year. South Africa won both the games by comfortable margins adding to India’s misery without their regular skipper.

India won 11 matches under regular captain Rohit Sharma in 2022. However, they have lost all other seven games under other captains this year. Pant has now lost two games on the trot in his first assignment as India’s captain. He now has an uphill task on his hands without the senior players in the side. 

India vs South Africa: Match Preview – South Africa Tour of India 2022, 3rd T20I

India 

The batsmen let down their team in the second T20I by not scoring a defendable total. Shreyas Iyer was the top-scorer for India on a pitch where all the other Indian batsmen struggled. India scored 148/6 batting first. Ishan Kishan scored a brilliant 34 and added a 45-run stand with Iyer. That was the highest partnership of the innings for India.

With the ball, Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 4/13 but his effort was not enough to help India win the game. India now need to win all their remaining three matches to win the series. Given that a few players underperformed in the first two games, the management can look to make a few changes in the playing XI. 

India Squad

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (C & WK), Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, R Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik

South Africa 

Heinrich Klaasen replaced an injured Quinton de Kock and scored his highest T20I score to take his team over the line. Klaasen was 3 from 11 when a lofted extra-cover drive of Yuzvendra Chahal got him started with his innings and from there he never looked back. 

The South Africans have found players who have put their hand up in the first two games. If it was David Miller and Rassie Van der Dussen in the first game, It was Klaasen who took India by surprise in the second T20I.

He first added a 64-run stand with skipper Temba Bavuma (35) and then another 51-run stand with David Miller (51) to take his team home. The South African wicket-keeper batsman scored 81 and was also the Man of the Match.  Heading into the third game, De Kock coming in place of Reeza Hendricks should be the only change in the Protean playing XI. 

South Africa Squad 

Temba Bavuma (C), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen

Also Read: IND vs SA: You Can Play Him At No. 4 Also And At No. 6 As Well – Sanjay Bangar On Versatile Hardik Pandya