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Having won the first two matches of the series, the Proteas will look to clean sweep India in the third ODI at Newlands, Cape Town, on January 23.
India have been thoroughly outplayed on the tour of South Africa in both the Test and fifty-over format. SA claimed the first two ODIs at Boland Park to take an unassailable lead of 2-0. The two teams will now take on each other in the third ODI at Newlands, Cape Town on Sunday to conclude the tour.
Also read 👉 Proteas crush India yet again to take unassailable 2-0 lead
The second One-Day international saw India win the toss and bat first. Indian batting struggled for the second time in a row, with Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli failing this time. KL Rahul scored 55 but could not do it at a good rate. Rishabh Pant was the saviour for the visitors, who smashed 85 off 71. Shardul Thakur (40) and Ravichandran Ashwin (25) stretched India’s total to 287/6.
Quinton de Kock came out with an aggressive approach and took on the Indian bowlers. He smashed 78 off 66 and added a 132-run opening partnership with Janneman Malan (91), who missed out on his hundred as he and Temba Bavuma (35) departed in back to back overs. Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen, both scoring 37* each, took the hosts over the line with 11 balls to spare.
Earlier, in the first ODI, the hosts had defeated India by 31 runs, defending 296. They will be looking to cap off this impressive series with a 3-0 clean sweep. India, on the other hand, will be eager to avoid the sweep.
Key players
Quinton de Kock is amongst the top batters in limited-overs cricket and has a fantastic record for his national side. The opening batter has amassed 5460 runs from 126 ODI matches at an average of 45.5 while striking at 95.5. He has scored 16 hundreds and 27 fifties in the format.
QDK has the ability to take the game away in a short time, and it was on display in the second ODI, where he hammered 78 off 66 balls. He remains a key player for the Proteas.
Rassie van der Dussen has grown into an extremely dependable middle-order batter in the fifty-over format. The right-hander has been prolific in his ODI career so far, scoring 1215 runs in 25 innings at an incredible average of 75.93 and strike rate of nearly 90.
He has scored two hundreds and nine fifties in ODIs. Rassie was outstanding in the first game, where he blasted 129* off 96 and follow it up with 37* off 38.
Rishabh Pant is one of the most skilful young players in world cricket with an ability to change the complexion of the game on its head. Pant has been magnificent on the SA tour, first scoring a hundred in the third Test and then a 71-ball 85 in the second ODI.
In his last eight ODI innings, has scored 401 runs at an average of 50 while striking at an exceptional 126. Pant has hammered three fifties in his last four innings and will be a player to watch out for in the third ODI.
Shikhar Dhawan is an underrated pillar of the Indian ODI side in the last decade. The left hand batter has been solid at the top of the order, having amassed 6213 runs in 147 matches at an average of 45.68 and strike rate of 93.69. Dhawan has 17 centuries and 34 half centuries in the format.
The 36-year-old has had to face doubts over his place time and again despite having done nothing wrong. Dhawan was sublime in the first game in his 79-run knock and got the start in the next game.
Prediction
The overall head to head record in this rivalry in ODIs is led by South Africa with 48 victories to 35. The last five clashes between these two sides have seen India winning three and South Africa claiming two.
The hosts have been excellent in the series with both bat and ball. The batting unit comprising van der Dussen, Bavuma, de Kock, Markram and Malan is in superb form. The bowling attack of Lungi Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi has done well. The second pacer’s spot could be up for grabs, with Marco Jansen likely to come in.
India looked very ordinary with the ball in the first two ODIs, barring Jasprit Bumrah. They are likely to make a few changes with Mohammed Siraj coming in. The batting unit also needs a shake-up and will be interesting to see if they give opportunities to Ruturaj Gaikwad and Suryakumar Yadav.
South Africa are a much-improved side and have looked very solid. Expect them to make it 3-0 but shouldn’t count India out.
