South Africa have dominated the ongoing IND vs SA 2022 T20I series against India, which many didn’t expect prior to the contest. The Proteas T20I side clinched the first and second matches by 7 wickets and 4 wickets, respectively, against the host nation. More importantly, South Africa were comfortable while chasing India’s targets. This is certainly a big concern for India as they haven’t been able to stop the Proteas batters from scoring freely. The hosts have no choice but to make a strong comeback in the third match in order to stay alive in the series. The third match preview is discussed in this article.
Third Match Preview of IND vs SA 2022 T20I Series
The third match of the ongoing T20I series between India and South Africa will take place at Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on June 14 (Tuesday). The match will start at 7.30 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time).
So far, only two matches have been played at this ground. India played both the matches, where they won against Sri Lanka but lost the other contest against Australia. Given the stats of these two matches, this ground seems to be more effective for the bowlers, which is unlike what was witnessed in the first two matches. In particular, the spinners will likely dominate the contest. Let’s take a look at the scenarios for both the teams.
India
In the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Indian batters did relatively well in the first two matches. In particular, they were brilliant in the first match. However, it was the bowling department that let Team India down in both the matches.
The experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a terrible outing in the first contest but made a strong comeback in the second match. He picked up 4 wickets for 13 in 4 overs. But others couldn’t put pressure on the batting line-up and the Proteas sealed the match with ease.
Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Axar Patel have been the biggest letdowns for the Indian team. They need to show their best effort like Bhuvneshwar did in the second encounter.
Probable Playing XI
Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (captain & wk), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal.
South Africa
Almost all of the major South African players played in the Indian Premier League 2022. Therefore, they have enough experience of Indian conditions and know what it takes to have a successful outing on Indian wickets. The Proteas national side are using their experience against the host Indian T20I team and have taken a 2-0 lead in the series. They now need one win in the next three matches to clinch the series, which would be a remarkable achievement.
Both South Africa’s batting and bowling departments have done pretty well for their side. In particular, batters have been superb at timing the ball quite effectively in the series. Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller were outstanding in the series-opening contest, while Heinrich Klaasen was ruthless in the second encounter.
The South African top order batters have batted with confidence as they know the Proteas middle-order in the T20 format is arguably the best in the world. Quinton de Kock’s participation in the third match is in doubt, so Heinrich Klaasen will likely play the match, having had a great time with the bat in the last encounter.
The visiting side will be looking to wrap up the series with two games in hand when they meet the hosts on Tuesday in Visakhapatnam.
Probable Playing XI
Temba Bavuma (captain), Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi.
Weather Forecast & Toss Prediction
The weather forecast indicates that there is no possibility of rain on Tuesday in Visakhapatnam. The match will start in the evening and pleasant weather conditions are expected during the contest. Since the pitch is likely to favour the slower bowlers, it would be better to bat second and chase a target. On the last two occasions, batted second teams won the contests.
Bottom Line
The Rishabh Pant-led Indian team hasn’t been able to dominate an aggressive-minded South African side in the ongoing IND vs SA 2022 series. One of the reasons is that the Proteas power hitters have enough experience to play against the Indian slower bowlers. They are well-equipped to face the Indian bowling line-up. Therefore, India will have to come up with a better strategy and game plan in the third match to overcome South Africa’s strong batting line-up. Otherwise, this confident-looking South African side will easily seal the T20I series on June 14 at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.
Source: United News of Bangladesh