SA vs India, 3rd ODI: KL Rahul elects to field
South Africa and India are squaring off in the 3rd and final ODI at Newlands, Cape Town. The Proteas gained an unassailable 2-0 lead after thrashing India in the 2nd ODI. India won the first Test in Centurion but are yet to win an international match on the tour. Skipper KL Rahul has won the toss and elected to field first.
South Africa (Playing XI): Janneman Malan, Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Temba Bavuma (captain), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Dwaine Pretorius, Lungi Ngidi, Sisanda Magala. India (Playing XI): KL Rahul (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Jayant Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal.
India have made as many as four changes to their Playing XI. Middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav, off-spinner Jayant Yadav, as well as fast bowlers Prasaidh Krishna and Deepak Chahar have come in. Meanwhile, R Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Venkatesh Iyer, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are sitting out. For South Africa, left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi has made way for bowling all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius.
Newlands in Cape Town is hosting the 3rd ODI. It will begin at 2:00 PM IST. The surface here usually assists the batters. However, the pacers could perturb them by making the most of uneven bounce. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on the Hotstar app (paid subscription).
South Africa and India have met four times in ODIs at Newlands. Both sides have won two games each. SA won in 1992 and 2006 while India tasted victory in 2011 and 2018. Overall, India have played five ODIs here. They also beat Kenya in 2003. Meanwhile, SA have played 37 ODIs here. They have sealed 31 wins besides losing just six times.
Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli recorded a duck in the 2nd ODI. His last seven ODI scores in SA read as - 0, 51, 129*, 36, 75, 160*, 46*, and 112. The 33-year-old is still in pursuit of his 44th ODI ton. He could equal Ricky Ponting in terms of international centuries. Overall, Kohli (70) is behind Ponting (71) and Sachin Tendulkar (100).
