India vs South Africa, 3rd ODI: Match preview and stats
What's the story
India and South Africa will clash in the third and final ODI of the series on Saturday at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The match is scheduled to start at 1:30pm IST. The series is tied 1-1 after both teams won one match each. The hosts will be looking to win the series on their home turf and need to bring their best game. Here's more.
Series overview
South Africa's dominance and India's challenge
South Africa have been on a roll, winning the second ODI by 4 wickets in Raipur. The Proteas chased down a massive target of 359 runs in the second ODI, showcasing their batting prowess. Even in the first ODI, the Proteas came close, and almost chased down a target of 350. They lost by 17 runs. For India, they have gone on to lose the toss on both occasions. The bowlers have struggled with the dew factor. Meanwhile, Washington Sundar's role in the side has also been questionable.
Match conditions
Dew factor and pitch conditions
Dew has been a major factor in this series, particularly affecting the team bowling second. The ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam hosted five matches recently, with the chasing team winning all five times. This trend suggests that dew could play a significant role in Saturday's match as well. If India lose the toss again, they need to ensure that they score in excess of 370 to stand a chance.
Squad updates
A look at the team news
India could stick with the same XI despite their loss in the last game, with Ruturaj Gaikwad shining at No. 4. Prasidh Krishna has been expensive but India doesn't have a backup pacer in their squad. One change India can opt for is leaving Sundar out and getting in Nitish Kumar Reddy or Rishabh Pant. South Africa will be forced to make a couple of changes after Tony de Zorzi and Nandre Burger suffered hamstring injuries in the last game. Ottneil Baartman is expected to return to the XI, and Rubin Hermann might be given a go as de Zorzi's replacement.
Likely XIs
Here are the likely XIs
India likely XI: Yashavi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul (C & WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna. SA likely XI: Quinton de Kock (WK), Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (C), Matthew Breetzke, Rubin Hermann, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman.
Information
What is India and South Africa's H2H record in ODIs?
As per ESPNcricinfo, the two teams have met each other 96 times in ODIs. Team India has won 41 matches. The Proteas have won 52 times. Three matches have witnessed no results.
Stats
What are the approaching milestones?
As per ESPNcricinfo, Virat Kohli is also approaching the 16,000-run mark in List A cricket. In 341 List A games, the 37-year-old has amassed 15,934 runs from 328 innings at 57.11. He has 57 hundreds and 83 fifties. Rohit Sharma is 27 runs away from the 20,000-run mark in international cricket. He owns 19,973 runs at 42.40 across formats for India. SA skipper Temba Bavuma is closing in on 2,000 ODI runs. He is 13 shy of the milestone.
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