India takes on South Africa and aims to win an ODI series in the third ODI in Paarl. The game will be played on Thursday with the series tied 1-1. It is a day and night game and the match starts at 1 pm local time which is 4:30 pm IST.
Virat Kohli is the only Indian captain to have won an ODI series against South Africa in South Africa. KL Rahul, who lost an ODI series as captain in 2022, will get a chance to redeem himself as he hopes to win the ODI series.
India’s performance in the second ODI was well below par. Their batsmen let them down in the second ODI and they were bowled out for a paltry 211. In the third ODI, they have a great chance to make up for the loss at Parrl, where the first innings average is close to 250.
Some changes are expected in the Indian XI as some players did not perform as expected in the second ODI. Rajat Patidar can replace Sanju Samson in the lineup. The management can also think of including Yuzvendra Chahal in the eleven. Shreyas Iyer was picked only for the first ODI and is now busy preparing for the Test series.
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For people like Rinku Singh, Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwas, this is another opportunity to make their presence felt. The bowling attack didn’t have much to defend in the previous match. However, the South African batsmen played with aggressive intent against all of them. Deepak Chahar is not available in this series and it is a big mistake. Mohammed Siraj played in the T20Is and is not included in the ODI series.
Therefore, given the players available, it is expected that the same attacking rhythm will be played in the decisive match. Chahal’s inclusion is a vital talking point. He has been out of the team since the Asia Cup. The selectors may have lost faith in him, but the experienced Leggie can be a winner in the decider.
India play 11 against South Africa: 3rd ODI, 2023
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Gaikwad will open the batting for India. In the first two games he scored 5 and 4 in the first two ODIs. He recently scored a T20I ton against Australia and needs to give India a good start in the decider.
Sai Sudharsan
The left-hander will open the batting for India along with Gaikwad. He scored fifty years in a row. He needs to maintain his good form and score a big century for India to win the match. Gujarat Titans signed him ahead of the IPL 2024 auction.
Rajat Patidar
Patidar can replace Sanju Samson in the Indian XI and bat at three. He is a right-hander who plays good spin and also fast bowls well. He can make his ODI debut for the Indian team in Paarl.
tilak varma
The left-hander hadn’t done much with the bat in the series so far. He scored only 10 off 30 balls in the second ODI. He is someone who can anchor the innings in the middle and can be a perfect complement to K Rahul.
KL Rahul (C/WK)
Rahul will come in at five. The team management has asked him to play with a middle-order batsman in all formats. He scored 56 in the second ODI but his knock went in vain as India lost the match. He will have a job with the bat.
Rinku Singh
Rinku made his ODI debut in the second ODI and scored 17. He looked good until Keshav Maharaj dismissed him. He also got a wicket on his ODI debut. The southpaw would love to hit a shocking shot.
Axar Patel
Axar Patel will bat at seven. He played the Australia T20I series but was later benched for the South Africa T20I series and is back for the ODIs. He bowled just six overs in the previous ODI.
Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh will lead the Indian attack. He scored a fifty in the first ODI and took 1 for 28 in the second ODI. Singh will look to make the most of the conditions.
Avesh Khan
Avesh Khan picked up four wickets in the first ODI and made 43 runs in the second ODI. He has so far taken seven wickets in seven ODIs for India.
Mukesh Kumar
Mukesh Kumar will be the third Indian seamer in the lineup. He is yet to take a wicket in the series. The Indian pacer made 46 runs in the second ODI. He made his ODI debut against the West Indies earlier this year.
Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep concludes the Indian XI as spinner specialist. He went wicketless in the second ODI but took 1 for 3 in the second ODI. Kuldeep has taken 49 wickets from 30 ODIs this year so far.
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