India seek redemption after narrow slump in Gqeberha with an eye on T20I series win

It has been a feisty start to the T20I series already as both India and South Africa have provided their absolute best to keep the series levelled after the first two games. Team India rode high on an imperious all-round performance in the first game to clinch a sizzling victory while South Africa came back with a thrilling turnaround in the second despite a masterclass from Varun Chakravarthy.

One of the key areas of concern for Team India will be the batting form of Abhishek Sharma, who has gone into a silent mode ever since that century against Zimbabwe. With Ramandeep Singh and Jitesh Sharma in the squad, India might just try and introduce a handful of radical shake-ups to the side. India’s fast-bowling has also seen some questions loom large which brings about a possibility of two new faces in the dug-out, Yash Dayal and Vyshak Vijaykumar being discussed in the plans.

South Africa will have to take an in-depth look at their batting unit as they have struggled twice now. In the first game they were skittled out for 141 while in the second game, had it not been for the crucial partnership between Gerald Coetzee and Tristan Stubbs, it could have been another sloppy landslide for them. With so much at stake, it won’t be surprising if they decide to make a few hefty changes to the side.

Pitch conditions:

Centurion has always been a pace-friendly surface, particularly with the new ball doing its fair bit. One needs to be watchful, especially with the seamers up front. However, turners haven’t had much luck on the track and if the initial jitters can be braved, one can expect the batters to come out on top.

Head to Head:

Matches played: 29

South Africa: 12

India: 16

Match Details:

South Africa vs India, 3rd T20I, 2024

Venue: SuperSport Park, Centurion

Date: 13th November, 2024

Time: 8:30 PM

Squads:

India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Daya

South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Reeza Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton (wicketkeeper), Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Mihlali Mpongwana, Nqaba Peter, Andile Simelane, Lutho Sipamla, Tristan Stubbs