The 3rd T20I between India and South Africa will be played on June 14 at the Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Vizag. Having lost both the first two matches, the hosts will be looking to avoid a series defeat by making a strong comeback in the third game of the five-match series.
The Rishabh Pant-led India put up an ordinary show with the bat in the second T20I in Cuttack. They collected only 148 runs for the loss of 6 wickets with contributions from Shreyas Iyer (40), Ishan Kishan (34) and Dinesh Karthik (30). But South Africa also stuttered in their chase before a masterclass by Heinrich Klaassen rescued them. The likes of Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius and Rassie van der Dussen scored only nine runs combined before Klaassen hit a 45-ball 81 to take the visitors over the line in 18.2 overs.
South Africa have not lost a white-ball series in India in the last 12 years and will be looking to maintain the unbeaten streak when they take to the field in Vizag. Both Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock will continue to remain unavailable for this game. While Markram has tested positive for Covid, de Kock is nursing an injury.
In the past, the two teams have met in 17 T20I, of which India have nine wins and South Africa eight.
The surface at the Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Stadium is bowling-friendly and has an average first innings total of only 104 runs.
Predicted XI
India: Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal
South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, Temba Bavuma©, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Dwaine Pretorius, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi
Image credit: BCCI
