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Match Details
Date: 17 June 2022
Time: 7 PM IST
Venue: Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot
Ball-by-ball commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview
India made a comeback in the 3rd T20I after two consecutive losses and have kept the series alive. A resounding victory (by 48 runs) might have lifted the mood in the hosts’ camp and now the Rishabh Pant-led team will look to make it two wins to keep the chances of a series win wide alive. However, the job won’t be easy for the Men in Blue considering the way they had lost the first two games. Keeping the likes of Miller and Klaasen quite will be a tough task for India. Meanwhile, South Africa would just hope for a win from anywhere to take an unassailable lead.
Pitch Report
The Rajkot pitch is going to play pretty much similar to that of Visakhapatnam and Delhi. The deck has been flat and there has been a little help for the bowlers. However, spinners who bowl slower in the air (like Chahal and Shamsi) will have a role to play in the middle overs.
Team Analysis
India
India’s batting was never an issue since the start of the series. With KL Rahul not available, Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad were asked to open the innings and they have fared decently. While Kishan has got two 50+ scores in three matches, Gaikwad made a roaring comeback in the 3rd T20I with a half-century. Shreyas Iyer has also played a couple of good knocks. Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik have also done a decent job at the fag end of the innings.
The major worry for India is their captain’s form. Pant has got out in a similar way in all three matches, chasing a wide delivery. If he fails yet again, it is going to be a tough task for India to beat South Africa. The bowlers (especially spinners) also got their rhythm back in the 3rd game and are expected to a play a crucial role in the 4th T20I.
SportsTiger Playing XI of India
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal
South Africa
After two convincing performances, the visitors looked clueless in the 3rd T20I against the spinning deliveries of Yuzvendra Chahal. None of the batters played a long inning like Klaasen in the 2nd T20I and Miller in the 1st. Van der Dussen is back to struggling after one good knock while Klaasen lost his way against Chahal. Bavuma has failed to convert his starts. David Miller has been the only consistent threat to India. There is no update on Quinton de Kock’s availability and that is not good news at all. The bowlers, however, have done a fair amount of work to keep the Indian batters in check with regular wickets. If South Africa are to win the series, they need to perform collectively.
SportsTiger Playing XI of South Africa
Temba Bavuma, Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorious, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Wayne Parnell, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi
Match Prediction
Conclusion
India have found their rhythm and it would be difficult for South Africa to stop the Men in Blue.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the author’s point of view. They neither reflect the opinion of SportsTiger nor advise anyone to make any prediction based on this. SportsTiger does not assume any responsibility and liability for the same.