South Africa eye consolation win in 3rd T20I against India after conceding series

Stung by their first-ever T20I series loss on Indian soil, South Africa will hope to regroup and mount a stronger challenge when they take on Rohit Sharma’s men in the third and final match in Indore on Tuesday.

After getting outplayed both with bat and ball in the opening game in Thiruvananthapuram, the Proteas attack — barring Keshav Maharaj — was once again taken to the cleaners as the Indian batters clicked as a unit and made merry on a conducive surface in Guwahati on Sunday. And if that wasn’t all, the contest was virtually killed within two overs as skipper Temba Bavuma and No 3 batter Rilee Rossouw departed inside two overs.

South Africa, though, will take heart from the fightback shown by the middle order, especially the pair of David Miller and Quinton de Kock whose mammoth 174-run stand for the fourth wicket gave the Proteas hope of pulling off an unlikely win at one point and was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing day in office. Miller was sensational in his unbeaten 106 — an effort that would normally have come in a winning cause for the Proteas, but failed to get the through on Monday thanks to the lacklustre bowling effort and the early jolts.

The third T20I will be the last match the two teams play in the shortest format before the T20 World Cup kicks off Down Under in a couple of weeks’ time, making it crucial for both sides as far as experimenting new combinations and plans are concerned.

Hosts resting key seniors

The big news coming in ahead of the third T20I is of star batter Virat Kohli getting a rest, according to reports doing the rounds on Monday, which could translate into an opportunity for Shreyas Iyer at the No 3 spot. Given Iyer will be travelling with the World Cup as one of their reserve players, every opportunity will count for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain if he is to get a shot in the big event later this month.

“He has been rested from the final T20I,” a BCCI official was quoted as telling news agency PTI.

Virat Kohli remained unbeaten at 49 in the second T20I. AP

Kohli’s reported absence however, has ruffled some feathers. The former India skipper after all is in the middle of a purple patch — which he regained after a near-three-year wait starting with a century against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup. And with the star performer batting so beautifully at the moment, one wonders if resting him at this moment is really a smart move, especially since he’s coming off an extended break, one which he credits for his revival as a batter.

Another worry for the team management will be the manner in which the bowling unit misfired on Sunday as barring an economical Deepak Chahar (0/24 in four overs), everyone else leaked runs, with Arshdeep Singh (2/62) enduring a nightmare of an evening. This came just four days after a dream bowling performance at Thiruvananthapuram where India had reduced South Africa to 9/5 at one stage and eventually, a below-par 106/8. And interestingly enough, it was Arshdeep who stood out down south in Kerala, only for his execution to go horribly wrong in the north east.

Bavuma’s form a key worry

Temba Bavuma had an average run in the five-match T20I series earlier this year and his fortunes have hardly improved this time around with the Proteas white-ball skipper getting dismissed for consecutive ducks in the series so far. One wonders if the disappointment of getting snubbed in the SAT20 auction has perhaps affected his confidence or focus.

Either way, he will have to fire in the series finale on Tuesday if he is to allay questions over his place at the top of the order. Either that or the Proteas will have to bring Reeza Hendricks, a tried-and-tested white-ball opener, back as Quinton de Kock’s partner at the start of the innings.

And much like their Indian counterparts, South Africa’s bowling — especially their seam attack — was all over the place in the second game after giving the Indians a minor scare in the series opener last Wednesday. On batting friendly surfaces, the extra yard of pace that the likes of Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada offer has become their bane as even the edges fly over the fence for a six.

Both Nortje and Rabada, along with third seamer Lungi Ngidi, have played extensively on Indian surfaces especially during the IPL and know what it takes to succeed in these condition. On Tuesday, they will hope to get those executions right as they look to tame the famed Indian batting lineup.

Squads:

India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umesh Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Siraj, Shahbaz Ahmed.

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Heinrich Klaasen, Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi.

Venue: Holkar Stadium, Indore.

Time: 7 pm IST (toss at 6.30 pm).

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