India vs South Africa, 3rd ODI Match Preview

India (IND) and South Africa (SA) lock horns in the decisive third ODI at Boland Park, Paarl, on Thursday, December 21. Currently, the series is intriguingly poised at 1-1 and the final fixture promises to be a riveting affair between two strong sides.

Indian pacers ran riot in the first ODI as Arshdeep Singh's five-wicket haul and Avesh Khan's four-for dismantled the South African batting line-up. The Proteas were dismissed for 116 before the Indian batters romped to a comfortable eight-wicket win.

KL Rahul and Co. would have loved to have bagged the series with a win in the second ODI in Gqeberha. However, Aiden Markram's men had other ideas. The second ODI saw the South African bowling unit coming up with a spirited performance on a spicy pitch as they dismissed the tourists for 211. Reeza Hendricks scored a hard-fought half-century while Tony de Zorzi remained unbeaten on 119 off 122 balls, as the hosts secured a comprehensive eight-wicket victory and restored parity in the series.

Boland Park Pitch Report

The Boland Park wicket is expected to be good for batting. The new ball could move around but as the match goes on, bowlers would have to bowl tight lines and change their pace to keep the batters guessing. The average first-innings total at this venue is 250. Eight games have been won by teams batting first while six have been won by chasing teams. The Proteas have a great record in Paarl as they have won eight and lost one in nine games. On the other hand, Team India have lost both the ODIs they have played against South Africa at this venue.

IND vs SA Probable Playing XI

South Africa:

South Africa brought in frontline pacers Lizaad Williams and Beuran Hendricks in place of Tabraiz Shamsi and Andile Phehlukwayo for the second game. Lizaad wasn't at his best but Hendricks bowled superbly, finishing with figures of 2/34 in 9.2 overs. The Proteas are expected to stick to the winning combination for the all-important clash.

Predicted XI: Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram (C), Heinrich Klaasen (WK), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Lizaad Williams, Nandre Burger, Beuran Hendricks

India:

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma have had a quiet couple of matches in the series. While the former might get another go as he performed well before this series, the same cannot be said about Tilak. The southpaw looked all at sea in the second ODI as he could only manage to get 10 runs off the 30 balls he faced before getting dismissed. Rajat Patidar could finally make his much-awaited debut unless the team management wants to give Tilak another shot at redemption.

Predicted XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma/Rajat Patidar, Sanju Samson, KL Rahul (C/WK), Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh

SA vs IND ODIs Head-to-Head Records:

Also See: IND vs SA 2023 Batting and Bowling Stats

SA vs IND, 3rd ODI Broadcast details: