India vs South Africa 2015, 3rd T20I at Eden Gardens, Preview: Triumphant visitors aim for clean sweep
India vs South Africa 2015, 3rd T20I at Eden Gardens, Preview
India will take on South Africa in the third and final Twenty20 International (T20I) at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Thursday. India were pipped by small margin in the first T20I at Dharamsala, but South Africa absolutely ravaged them in the second match at Cuttack. Sadly, the Barabati spectators ended up hurling water bottles on the ground and reduced the game to an embarrassment. India, both the cricket team and the country, will hope that this was merely an aberration. Eden Gardens has a volatile history with unruly crowds as well, but have gone back to being a cricket-loving crowd over the last decade or so. Live Scorecard: India vs South Africa 2015, 3rd T20I at Eden Gardens
Coming to the actual cricket, India have been quite disappointing this series. Their batting – specifically Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – did well in the first match before the bowlers cost them the game. The roles reversed in the second T20I though; this time the batting crumbled in heap and the bowlers, led as usual by Ravichandran Ashwin, pulled the game back. Of course, a sub-100 score was never going to be enough to defend. The Indian bowlers were not able to pull a rabbit out of the hat. Read: Has overconfident India taken South African lightly?
India will want to prove that what happened with the bat at Cuttack was merely an oddity. Shikhar Dhawan is yet to play noteworthy innings in T20Is, and he will feel the pressure of Ajinkya Rahane breathing down his neck. Another failure here could mean another break for him from T20Is. Rahane has an excellent IPL record, and his limited-overs performances as an opener will certainly cause MS Dhoni to consider bringing him in for game, possibly to replace Rohit, whose spot in the side is all but guaranteed. Read: Barabati crowd shows how little Indian spectators have evolved since Eden Gardens, World Cup 1996
Kohli’s poor form in ODIs this year has been a worry for India, but he looked in good touch in the recent Test series in Sri Lanka and in the first T20I. He will want to end the year on a high with some quality performances against the strong South African unit. Suresh Raina is yet to repay Dhoni’s faith in him by making good on the No. 4 spot, and will want to prove himself worthy of the position with substantial innings. Dhoni has been holding himself back despite expressing the desire to bat up the order. He looked good in the first T20I, and will want to get some runs under his belt before the ODIs, though he will be quite happy if he does not have to bat at all. Read: South Africa may abandon India tour 2015
Ambati Rayudu has faced three balls, got out twice, and not scored run so far in this series. He will be lucky if he gets another chance. Akshar Patel has been indifferent with the bat and mediocre with the ball, and could be replaced by Amit Mishra for the third match. Stuart Binny is another option India may consider. Read: India vs South Africa 2015, 2nd T20I at Cuttack highlights
India will be happy with the way Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh bowled in the last match. Ashwin has been India’s best bowler across formats since last year, and he has continued his tremendous bowling in this series as well. He has got rid of AB de Villiers on both occasions, and had been economical as well. India will want him to get better support from the rest of the bowling.
South Africa have depended heavily on de Villiers and JP Duminy in both matches so far. Hashim Amla has looked in good nick without getting big score, and Faf du Plessis played a brief but crucial innings in the last match. The rest of the batsmen have not had much to do though, and India will try to capitalise on that. Their bowling attack has adapted well to Indian conditions, and remains potent even without Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, and Vernon Philander. The Proteas may want to give youngster Eddie Leie a go in the last match.
On the whole, despite its status as a dead rubber, the final T20I at Eden Gardens will remain an interesting affair. Neither side is likely to make sweeping changes, but a couple of new faces can be expected. South Africa have momentum going their way, but India can never be written off at home.
Squads:
India: MS Dhoni (c&wk), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Stuart Binny, Akshar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ambati Rayudu, Mohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra and Sreenath Aravind.
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wk), Marchant de Lange, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Eddie Leie, David Miller, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Albie Morkel and Khaya Zondo.
Time: 19:00 IST | 13:30 GMT
(Shiamak Unwalla, reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek who loves cricket more than cricketers. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)