Preview: South Africa vs. India 3rd ODI, Cape Town
The third ODI of the ongoing series between South Africa and India is set to begin on the 18th of January at 12:30 GMT. The match is going to be played at Newlands, Cape Town.
The series is tied at 1-1 after the first two games. There is not much to choose between the sides given the performance in the last two games; both seem evenly poised for the third game.
Tendulkar’s injury though is a big setback for Dhoni as three of his premier performers- Gautam Gambhir, Virendar Sehwag and Praveen Kumar- are already out of the team. Dhoni commented that he is not yet aware who is going to replace Tendulkar but it has
been reported that Parthiv Patel is going to join the team once he gets the visa. Yusuf Pathan is yet to play a game in the series but in the absence of a replacement he is more likely going to fill in the space in the middle order.
South Africa’s immaculate run in the first match was followed by a batting collapse in the second, when the hosts failed to chase down a score of 190. It was a disappointing performance by the Proteas, at one stage they were at a comfortable position with
less than 40 runs to get in 19 overs with five wickets remaining. Although the pitch wasn’t as favorable for batting but losing the game from a winning position is not a good sign for a team being deemed as one of the favorites in the upcoming world-cup.
Smith would be happy with his performance and looks to be in good touch but the two youngsters, Collin Ingram and David Miller, are yet to make a mark in the series both failing to make valuable contributions for the team, their contributions are not only
important for the team but their selection in the world-Cup eleven is also dependent upon performances in this series.
Tsotsobe, the self-proclaimed style guru, has done it in style in the first two games; coming out as the pick of the bowlers, with his accuracy and immaculate line and length he is all set for another meaningful contribution in the third game.
While India has struggled negotiating with the short ball throughout the series, the batsmen finally seem to be getting a hang of things. Yuvraj and Dhoni batted superbly in the second game to give their team a fighting total but still Yuvraj would be kicking
himself for making a mess out of the start that he got. In Tendulkar’s absence the responsibility falls on his shoulders and his contribution could well be the deciding factor for India.
Despite the bad run in the series Raina seemed determined and has been log-due for a good performance with the bat. Yusuf Pathan could also prove handy with his hard-hitting abilities if he is allowed to have a go in the third game.
Ashish Nehra is a cause of worry for Dhoni but Munaf Patel’s spell in the last match and a couple of satisfactory performances by the others have made their bowling attack look competitive.
With India’s amazing come-back in the second ODI courtesy some quality bowling and nervy batting by the Proteas they are looking good to give the South Africans a tough time in the third match of the series.
The pitch at Newlands is supposed to assist spin-bowling and is said to have less bounce than other pitches in South Africa, the spinners have done a good job in the series so far and with conducive conditions, Harbhajan and co. could well make a difference.
The two teams have played eachother two times before at the same venue and the hosts went on to win on both the occasions. There are no chances of rain and the weather is forecasted to be perfect for a game of cricket.