The South Africa vs India 3rd T20I will be played on Wednesday at SuperSport Park, Centurion. The series is levelled at 1-1, following South Africa’s impressive comeback in the 2nd T20I where they scripted 3 wickets victory with an over to spare. Bowlers pulled up their socks and there was a complete shift in their performance compared to the 1st T20I and were able to limit the visitors to a paltry 124 for 6 in the allotted 20 overs. Later, Tristan Stubbs delivered the best knock under pressure with an unbeaten 47*, and Gerald Coetzee’s late cameo of 19* guided them to a win.
World T20 Champions, India, who comfortably won the 1st T20I by 61 runs, went down in the follow-up by a close margin with an over to spare, despite a stellar bowling effort from Varun Chakravarthy, who bagged his maiden 5-fer in the T20Is. The batters weren’t proud of their shot selection, losing 3 wickets inside 4 overs. Rebuilding acts from Tilak Varma (20) and Axar Patel (27) slightly brought them back into the game. Hardik Pandya’s unusual innings of 39* runs from 45 balls took visitors above the 120-run mark.
SA vs IND, 3rd T20I Match Analysis
South Africa Team Preview
Probable Playing XI – Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Nqabayomzi Peter.
South Africa had every right to celebrate the victory in the 2nd T20I as they escaped from a painful stumble in the middle, losing 3 wickets quickly from 64 to 66. Tristan Stubbs’ maturity was on point throughout his unbeaten 47*, where he hit 7 fours, and speedster Gerald Coetzee’s quick-fire 9-ball 19* was a surprise element in the winning cause. The victory was badly needed for them in the context of the series as they levelled at 1-1 with 2 games to be played.
In the first half, on a wicket offering plenty of bounce, Proteas bowlers maximized the conditions to good effect to keep India under pressure, restricting them to a modest 124. Nqabayomzi Peter was the pick of the bowlers, returning figures of 1 for 20.
The lack of runs from their prolific middle-order duo of Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller is keeping them on the back foot. If both rediscover their form, they will just become unstoppable.
India Team Preview
Probable Playing XI – Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Varun Chakravarthy.
India’s loss in the 2nd T20I was due to top-order failure and death bowling lapses. The Men in Blue put on their best show in the middle overs of both innings, with Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, and Hardik Pandya scoring important runs. Despite defending the lowest total, the Men in Blue gave their everything, but they failed to secure a win in the neck-to-neck contest.
Mystery spinner, Varun Chakravarthy delivered a magical show with the ball, picking up a 5-fer to create a winning feeling that didn’t last long. Life came in one full circle for Sanju Samson, who scored a century (107) in the series opener and bagged a duck in the 2nd T20I.
Despite getting frequent chances at the top, Abhishek Sharma hasn’t utilized the opportunity to the best as his last 7 innings scores are 4, 7, 4, 15, 16, 14, and 10, and might get one last chance in the 3rd T20I. Will they bring a change to their bowling setup, we need to wait and watch.
SA vs IND 3rd T20I Venue and Pitch Report
SuperSport Park here in Centurion will stage the SA vs IND 3rd T20I. It has hosted plenty of high-scoring contests in the past. A proper batting belter will likely be provided for the crucial contest on Wednesday. It will be hard work for the bowlers, who must back themselves to avoid getting hit.
Who are the players in the South Africa vs India Series?
Take a look at the players involved in the India Tour of South Africa 2024
South Africa Squad
Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Nqabayomzi Peter, Mihlali Mpongwana, Donovan Ferreira, Ottneil Baartman, Patrick Kruger.
India Squad
Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Varun Chakravarthy., Jitesh Sharma (wk), Vyshak Vijaykumar, Ramandeep Singh, Yash Dayal.
How many times did India beat SA in T20Is?
South Africa and India played against each other on 29 occasions in T20Is, where the latter held a better edge with 16 wins, while lost 12 and the other game ended with no result.
SA vs IND 3rd T20I Winner Prediction and Betting Tips
SA vs IND Winner Prediction
India possesses a strong batting core as compared to South Africa, even though the former holds a diversified bowling setup. Going with the player’s current form, India has the upper hand and is likely to win the game to go 2-1 up in the series.
Top Run Scorer
After two back-to-back centuries, Sanju Samson bagged a duck in the 2nd T20I while eyeing a glorious shot. He is still hungry for runs and expects to score more runs in the SA vs IND 3rd T20I.
Most Wickets
Even on the seaming South African conditions, spinner Varun Chakravarthy is having the best time of his life and has picked up 8 wickets in the series with the best figures of 5 for 17. He is expected to get more wickets in the SA vs IND 3rd T20I.
The Series is levelled at 1-1, and both South Africa and India are eager to take the lead. Whoever wins it, is safe and isn’t going to lose the series.
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