India vs South Africa, 5th T20I: Match Preview, Head to Head, Playing XI and Broadcast Details

After losing two games in a row, India won the third and fourth T20I matches at Vizag and Rajkot, respectively, and leveled the series 2-2 against South Africa. The two teams will now lock horns in the fifth and final match of the series and aim for the prestigious trophy. The visitors are struggling with multiple injury issues in their camp, thus it will be a game to look out for.

India gained terrific form in the third and fourth games as they bagged huge wins. While they won the third game by 48 runs, they restricted the visitors to mere 87 runs after posting a target of 170 runs and emerged victorious by 82 runs in the fourth game. Rishabh Pant has not won a single toss in this series and has not managed to play a good knock so far, but the team’s efforts have turned fruitful for them.

The Indian openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan were in great form at Vizag, but they failed to put up a worthy knock in the previous fixture. The two will have to work harder in order to give the side a good start in the powerplay, and score as many runs as possible. Shreyas Iyer, who completes the top-order lineup, is also struggling with the bat as India’s top-order has been a matter of concern.

The powerful middle-order batters Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik have acted like a force to reckon with. Both of them have carried their good form from the IPL 2022 into the ongoing series and played some worthy and remarkable knocks. While Pandya had been a part of the international setup till 2021 before being rested due to injury, Karthik made a comeback after 2019 and emerged as a proven finisher.

Bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, and Yuzvendra Chahal played a major role in defending the scores in the previous games as India restricted Proteas during their chase. While Patel scalped four wickets in the third game, Khan managed to bag the same number of wickets in the fourth game and ended the visitors’ game early.

The Temba Bavuma-led side faced a couple of injuries in the recent match, with the skipper himself walking retired hurt during the powerplay, and not returning for the rest of the innings. During the game, Marco Jansen was hit on his neck by Avesh Khan’s bouncer and injured himself, thus his return to the final game is also doubtful. On the other hand, Quinton de Kock returning back to the side was a sigh of relief.

Pitch and conditions

Because of its small boundaries, Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy is famed for high-scoring games. Five out of the eight T20Is that have been played at the venue have been won by the chasing side. Spinners normally have some traction from the pitch, but due to shorter boundaries, the hitters tend to take on the bowlers.

Playing Combinations for IND vs SA

India

The Indian team put up a competitive show in the previous two games to keep their place in the series alive. They now aim to win the race by clinching the series by 3-2 and carry their winning momentum into the final fixture. India did not make any change to the side in the four games, and because they are backed with two wins, they will be expected to go on with the same playing XI.

Predicted Playing XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan

South Africa

While De Kock has returned in the opening slot, Bavuma’s inclusion is still a doubt due to his hand injury. Thus, Reeza Hendricks will be expected to return to the combination for the final game as an opener if Bavuma remains unfit. Keshav Maharaj will take over the captaincy duties in his absence. The top order will look to maintain their place in the game and recover from the previous two defeats.

Predicted Playing XI: Reeza Hendricks/Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje

IND vs SA Head to Head

Played- 21 | India- 11 | South Africa- 8 | No Result – 2 |

IND vs SA Broadcast Details

Match Timings- 7:00 PM IST

TV – Star Sports Network

Live Streaming – Disney+Hotstar