With Virat Kohli and KL Rahul rested for the final T20I against South Africa, India will field a weak batting line-up in the inconsequential third T20I in Indore on Tuesday.
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Shreyas Iyer, India’s standby for the T20 World Cup will replace Kohli at No 3 and With Rahul also rested, Rishabh Pant is more likely to open alongside Rohit Sharma. With no second reserve batter in the squad, all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed might make his international debut or India can play Deepak Chahar at No 7 and bring in Mohammed Siraj in the playing XI.
For South Africa, there will be immense pressure on captain Temba Bavuma, who is struggling with the bat. And on the other hand, Reeza Hendricks, who has scored four fifties in the last five innings, is warming the bench.
Rishabh Pant to open
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Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant during a practice session in Guwahati. (AP)
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has hardly faced a single ball since his 20-run cameo against Afghanistan in Asia Cup. It is not a debate anymore that the left-handed has become the second-choice keeper in the squad after Dinesh Karthik. However, Rohit Sharma has maintained that he will be given some match time, and one might see Pant opening the innings with his captain, which he has done previously as well. With India not taking any back-up opener for the T20 World Cup, the Indore game would be an ideal time for Pant to throw his hat for the third opening slot.
Shreyas Iyer to bat at 3
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India’s Shreyas plays a shot. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Shreyas Iyer for Virat Kohli at No 3 would be a like-for-like replacement. The right-handed batter, who has been picked as one of the standbys, will also be raring to go in the final match. There is no secret that Iyer likes playing at 3 and he has said it many times as well. With a thin batting line-up, it would be a good chance for Iyer to play the anchor role.
Shahbaz to make his debut
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Shahbaz Ahmed warms up during a practice session. (AP)
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Bengal all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed might make his international debut in Indore. In the IPL 2020 Shahbaz became one of the mainstays for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He scored 219 runs with an impressive strike rate of 120.99 and bagged four wickets in 16 games. Shahbaz is more than useful with his bat. He was the leading run-scorer for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy. He has scored 482 runs in 5 matches, including a century and three half-centuries.
Siraj in for Harshal
Mohammed Siraj bows during a practice session. (AP)
The injury of Jasprit Bumrah has left Indian team management pondering over the pace department. In the final match India might give Mohammed Siraj, who is likely to be travelling to Australia as one of the standbys. Indian team management would love to give Siraj some game time before flying to Down Under. He might replace Harshal Patel, who is having a forgettable outing since making his comeback from the injury.
Hendricks for Rossouw
South African batsman Reeza Hendricks batting during the 1st T20I cricket match in Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Christiaan Kotze)
South Africa needs to make a brave call to bring in Reeza Hendricks in the playing XI. In their last series against England, Hendricks was Proteas’ top-run scorer with 286 runs at the strike rate of 137.50. It was really harsh on the right-handed batter to warm the bench in Thiruvananthapuram and Guwahati. It’s entirely possible that Rilee Rossouw gets the chop, though, with Temba Bavuma moving to No 3.
Immense pressure on Bavuma
South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma bats during the second T20 cricket match. (AP)
South Africa team management had to take some strong calls and must drop their captain Temba Bavuma, who at the moment is looking like the weakest link. In Guwahati, with such a massive chase Bavuma played a maiden, leaving two and recording a duck of seven balls.
India vs South Africa Predicted XI
India Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel, Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, R Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
South Africa Predicted XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi
India vs South Africa Pitch Report
The run glut in Guwahati may just be a warm-up for the Holkar Stadium, Indore. This is a venue with a reputation for runs. In the last ten there have been six first-innings scores of 160 or more and three of those have been 200 or more. Seven of the ten, unsurprisingly, have been won by the side batting first.
India vs South Africa Squads
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Umesh Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Shahbaz Ahmed and Mohammad Siraj
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs.
