South Africa returns to the Ferozeshah Kotla grounds for a limited-overs international after just four months. The weather now cannot be more different than in June, during peak summer, when the two teams clashed in the first match of an eventually drawn T20I series.
Soft rain, cloudy sky and cool breeze combine to make it a lovely moment to play cricket. With rain predicted for Tuesday too, the chances of the third and final One-Day International being shortened are likely.
Neither India nor South Africa held any press conferences or trained today.
With just six days to go before the start of the T20 World Cup, neither team has much riding on the series. The third ODI gives members of the South African team, who are part of the T20 World Cup squad, some match practice. Besides, it is a golden opportunity to clinch a rare series win on Indian soil.
The search for relevance notwithstanding, it has so far been an entertaining rubber full of exciting moments and phases of play and individual performances: Kuldeep Yadav’s magnificent delivery to get rid of Aiden Markram in Lucknow, excellent stroke-making from several batters, and fruitful spells of bowling from Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell.
Magnificent Siraj
Mohammed Siraj’s performance in the second ODI in Ranchi has perhaps been the most exciting takeaway for India in this series so far, and another good performance may compel the selectors to fly him to Australia for the T20 World Cup as a replacement for the injured Jasprit Bumrah. He will be licking his lips, too, to bowl in favourable conditions here.
India did well to level the series after losing the first match in Lucknow, a rain-shortened affair. But scrutiny will be on the openers, after two failures: neither Shikhar Dhawan, who otherwise has a good record in ODIs as captain, nor Shubman Gill have been able to resist the marauding South African fast bowlers for long.
Concerns in the South African camp revolve around Temba Bavuma. The diminutive batter hasn’t been in good form and was dropped from the line-up at Ranchi. If he is picked for the third match, it will be his final chance to score some runs ahead of the all-important World Cup.
The toss could be crucial in determining the winner. Both teams would be hoping to insert the opposition in and make use of the swing available, and the dew at night could scupper the fielding team’s chances of denting the opposition batting line-up by making the ball slippery.
It South Africa wins, the team gets its second series win on Indian soil. Since South Africa’s last series win in India, in 2015, India has won 10 ODI series out of 11, losing only to Australia in March 2019. So, it will be an impressive feat.
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