3rd T20I: India, South Africa to fight for series lead
What's the story
The third match of the five-match T20I series between India and South Africa is set to take place at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday (December 14). With the series being poised at 1-1, both teams will look to gain the series lead. After suffering a heavy defeat by 51 runs in the second T20I, India will be looking to bounce back strongly. Here is the match preview.
Match conditions
Pitch conditions and streaming details
The pitch at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium is expected to be balanced, providing support for both batters and bowlers. It should have good bounce, allowing batters to play their shots after negotiating the initial overs. Pacers can also take advantage of swing if they bowl in the right areas. Meanwhile, one can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream it on the JioHotstar app/website (7:00pm IST).
Series
SA bounced back after losing opener
India secured a massive 101-run victory in the first T20I with Hardik Pandya shining with both bat and ball. Notably, the game saw South Africa record their lowest-ever T20I total of 74/10. However, the visitors made a strong comeback in the second game, with Quinton de Kock scoring a brilliant 90 runs. Ottneil Baartman also contributed with a four-wicket haul, helping them win by 51 runs and level the series.
H2H
India's T20I record against South Africa
Overall in T20Is, the two teams have met each other 33 times in T20Is, as per ESPNcricinfo. Team India has won 19 matches, with South Africa pocketing 13 wins (NR: 1). On Indian soil, the two sides have faced each other 14 times. SA lead this head-to-head record 7-6 as one of their games got abandoned due to rain.
Line-ups
Here are the likely XIs
India likely XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh. South Africa likely XI: Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Marco Jansen, Lutho Sipamla, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman.
Stats
Here are the key performers
Quinton de Kock's T20I record against India is mighty impressive - 441 runs at an average of 44 and a strike rate of 146. Tilak Varma has scored a whopping 397 runs across eight T20Is against South Africa at an impressive average of 66.16. Varun Chakravarthy has claimed 16 wickets from six T20Is against SA at 11.62. Lungi Ngidi has taken five wickets in the ongoing series at 11.40.
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