India take on South Africa in the third T20I of the ongoing series at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday, December 14. The hosts know well how cold it can get in this part of the country in the winter. So the Men in Blue will be ready for the challenges coming their way. South Africa, however, must adjust and ensure that they do not fall short like they did in the final ODI and first T20I earlier.
The visitors have a lot of quality in their ranks. Yet, they have somehow not been able to convert that into desirable results. They have a very well-built bowling attack, which includes the likes of Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi. All three have played in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Hence, know these conditions fairly well. All that is left for them now is to hit the right lengths and not allow the Indian batters to get under their deliveries and try to hit them out of the park.
In the batting department, India seem to have an advantage over their opponents. They have the right mixture of youth and experience, with the former overpowering the latter efficiently; it is only Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya who have been around for some time now and know their ropes fairly well. Amongst the youngsters, Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill and Tilak Varma have consistently shown how dangerous they can be when they get the right opportunities. Even among wicketkeepers, India have a good competition between Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma.
Predicted Teams
IND: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh.
SA: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje.
Key Players
Abhishek Sharma (IND): Opener Abhishek Sharma is among the most destructive players in both teams. The southpaw has the skillset to take on opposition bowlers from the first ball and dismantle any plans that South Africa might have. Sharma has a unique technique – he does not take his feet towards the ball as many are asked to do. Instead, he keeps some gap between his feet and the ball’s pitching area so that he can swing his bat in a good arc and get under it. This allows him to hit sixes effortlessly.
David Miller (SA): Old warhorse David Miller has consistently proven how dangerous he can be in the lower middle-order for South Africa. He has played a lot of cricket in the IPL and therefore, knows how to soak up pressure in these crowd-filled stadiums. Miller is someone who can be comfortable even when his side is not doing well, since he has a lot of confidence in his own ability to steer them out of trouble. Most importantly, Indian fans know how dangerous he can be, given how close he brought South Africa in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Match Prediction
India have an upper hand purely because they know these conditions well. Moreover, their bowlers have performed well as a unit and managed to deceive the visitors, especially in the middle overs. The Indians are renowned for being sharp on the field, but so are the Proteas, and this is one aspect where both teams are well-matched. India, however, have more experienced spinners in their ranks, and this gives them a slight edge. South Africa need to handle pressure better.
