Centurion, Nov 12 – India’s batting line-up will aim to bounce back against a confident South Africa in the third T20I at Centurion on Wednesday, seeking to recover from their recent struggles in unfamiliar conditions at SuperSport Park.
India has played just one T20I at this venue since 2009, a six-wicket loss in 2018, and only Hardik Pandya remains from that squad. The conditions at Centurion are expected to be similar to those in Gqeberha, with a quick and bouncy pitch that could test India’s batters further.
In the second T20I, India’s batting faltered against South African pacers, posting only 124/6. With the pitch at Centurion likely to be challenging, the team needs a significant improvement in batting performance. Abhishek Sharma’s prolonged slump is a major concern at the top of the order. He needs a solid performance to hold onto his place, with the option of replacing him with Tilak Varma and moving Ramandeep Singh into the middle-order still on the table.
The senior players—Suryakumar Yadav, Pandya, and Rinku Singh—will also need to step up. While Suryakumar and Rinku have shown glimpses of their talent, they have failed to convert those into substantial scores. Pandya, who made 39 in the second match, consumed 45 balls for his runs, struggling to find boundaries in critical moments.
The Indian bowling attack also has areas to address. Arshdeep Singh had a mixed outing, returning 1/25 in the first match but conceding 41 runs in his second, with his third and fourth overs proving expensive. Avesh Khan also faces pressure, and the management may consider alternatives like Yash Dayal or Vysakh Vijaykumar.
On a positive note, the spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy, who took a maiden fifer in the last match, and Ravi Bishnoi have been exceptional, and their performance could play a key role at Centurion, where the expected pace and bounce may favor them.
South Africa, too, faces batting concerns, with veterans like Aiden Markram, David Miller, and Heinrich Klaasen yet to make a significant impact in the series. In the second T20I, they relied on young batters like Tristan Stubbs and Gerald Coetzee to get them across the line. The Proteas will be hoping for stronger contributions from their senior players, especially against India’s spinners.
Teams (from):
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Patrick Kruger, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Mihlali Mpongwana, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Andile Simelane, Lutho Sipamla, Tristan Stubbs.
The match will begin at 8:30 PM IST.
