The third T20I of IND vs SA will be played in Paarl on Thursday, December 21. It is the decisive match and South Africa bounces back with a victory in the second ODI. The hosts won by 8 wickets chasing 211.
South Africa, on their usual terms, beat the Indian cricket team in the second ODI. Their players made the best of the conditions and posed problems for the Indian batsmen. Without players like Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, the South African attack stood firm and won the match for their team.
Going into the decider, the Proteas will have more confidence from the two teams as they did well in the second ODI. Tony de Zorzi especially played a counter attack against all the Indian bowlers. His innings gave his team a great start in a lackluster chase.
Team India is chasing history on South African soil as it faces an ODI series victory. Virat Kohli is the only Indian skipper to win an ODI series as skipper on South African soil in 2018. KL Rahul can be the next Indian skipper to achieve the feat.
In view of the decision, the group of experts should consider gathering Yuzvendra Chahal again to the Indian playing XI. He has been away from the team since last year’s Asia Cup and was included in the squad for this series. He was benched from the first few games, which was disconcerting to see given that Prothean batsmen are not good against spinners. He should bowl alongside Kuldeep Yadav in the middle.
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The Men in Blue can also bring in Washington Sundar or Rajat Patidar in place of Sanju Samson. The Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman scored just 12 off 23 deliveries and seemed to play with some fear. He was dismissed and continued playing while Samson wasted another opportunity to score a great goal for the national team.
India lost the ODI series against South Africa on their last tour of India in 2021-22. They lost the Test series 2-1 and were whitewashed in the ODI series. This time, India can challenge the South African team as their bowling attack looks inexperienced in the absence of Rabada and Nortje.
The senior players were rested and Shreyas Iyer played the first Test and then they were sent to play some practice games before the Test series. Eyes will especially be on Chahal and Samson and how they will perform in the decider if they get the chance.
Recent location records (Boland Park, Paarl)
STATISTICS – ODI
Total matches 20
Matches won by batting the first 9
Bowling matches won first 10
Average score for 1st Inns 234
Average score for 2nd Inns 182
Highest recorded total 353/6 (50 Ov) by RSA vs BAN
Lowest total recorded 36/10 (18.4 Ov) by CAN vs SL
Highest score pursued 288/3 (48.1 Ov) by RSA vs IND
Lowest score defended 204/10 (48.5 Ov) by IND vs NED
Who will score the most runs for India: KL Rahul / Ruturaj Gaikwad
Who will take the most wickets for India: Yuzvendra Chahal/Arshdeep Singh
Who will score the most runs for South Africa: David Miller / Tony de Zorzi
Who will take the most wickets for South Africa: Nandre Burger / Keshav Maharaj
Today’s Match Prediction IND vs SA: Third ODI, Who Will Win Today’s ODI Match? 2023
South Africa has the advantage of knowing the conditions better ahead of the decisive match. However, India can certainly bounce back and win the series.
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