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The third match of the T20I series will be played on 14th December( Sunday). The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium, situated at an elevation of nearly 1,500 metres, provides the battlefield. Temperatures in this night game are likely to drop to single digits, ensuring that players and spectators are well layered up. This is the first international fixture to be held at this venue in the month of December since India faced Sri Lanka in an ODI in 2017. It is expected to be around 9 degree Celsius.
Shubman Gill is under pressure coming into this game having struggled for runs in recent times. Gill had a long stint in the nets on Saturday, taking inputs from batting coach Shitanshu Kotak. In his last 26 games, Shubman Gill has just two 50+ scores, both against Zimbabwe. Even including those, his average is only 24. Shubman Gill will play the remaining 3 matches against SA and if he is unable to deliver then it will be very tough to leave out Sanju Samson as opener in the NZ series.
Last few scores of Shubman Gill in T20I:
9,0,8,23,31,2,66,58,13,34,39,20,10,5,47,29,4,12,37,4,15,46,29,4,0
Another player who is due for runs is Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav whose last T20I fifty came way back in October last year, is the biggest form concern. He was dismissed for 12 in the opening match and 5 in the second match. In the post match presentation, Suryakumar Yadav did say that he should have stayed till the end and tried to take it deep and win it for his team and the Indian captain will be keen to lead the way in the third match. He averages less than 25 in T20Is in 2025 which has raised huge question mark over his place in the side.
Last few scores of Suryakumar Yadav in T20I:
20, 1, 39, 1, 12, 5, 0, 47, 7, 2, 0, 14, 12, 0, 1, 4, 21, 75, 8, 29, 8, 26, 58, 12, 5
The series is level at 1-1 and this should be a fascinating contest between these two sides. The pendulum has swung throughout the series and it will be keen to see how this one pans out.
