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India and South Africa clash in the series-deciding third ODI at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on December 6, with the scoreline locked at 1-1 after high-scoring thrillers in Ranchi and Raipur.
KL Rahul won the toss and opted to bowl first, citing minimal early dew during training and a balanced pitch favouring chases. India made one change, bringing in Tilak Varma, while South Africa introduced Ryan Rickelton and Ottneil Baartman amid injury concerns.
Reason for Washington Sundar being sidelined in the IND vs SA 3rd ODI
Washington Sundar misses out on the third ODI as India prioritizes batting depth over his all-round role following underwhelming contributions in the first two matches. Batting at number five, Sundar scored just 13 and 1 run respectively, while his bowling offered little control on flat tracks.
Captain KL Rahul emphasized minimal changes post strong team showings but confirmed the swap for Tilak Varma to bolster middle-order firepower against South Africa’s attack. This move ends an experiment with Sundar in the top order, allowing Jadeja to anchor spin duties alone.
“Just trying to sharpen a couple of things in the field and the results will go our way. One change. Washington Sundar misses out and Tilak Varma comes in,” Rahul said during the toss.
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South Africa grapple with injury blows in the series decider
Tony de Zorzi and Nandre Burger sit out due to hamstring injuries sustained in the second ODI in Raipur, ruling them out for weeks and forcing South Africa’s two changes. De Zorzi retired hurt on 17 during the chase after a right hamstring strain in the 45th over, while Burger limped off mid-over with right hamstring discomfort.
Skipper Temba Bavuma noted scans confirmed their absence, paving the way for Rickelton’s opening slot and Baartman’s pace role to maintain balance. These absences test Proteas’ depth in the high-stakes finale, where a good start could set up a defendable total on the batting-friendly Visakhapatnam strip.
“We’ve got two changes. Rickelton and Baartman come in. Both of them (Burger and de Zorzi) sustained injuries in the last ODI, I think they’ll be out for a couple of weeks. It’ll give another opportunity for Baartman and Rickelton to deliver,” confirmed Bavuma during the toss.
IND vs SA: Playing XI of both teams for the final showdown
South Africa: Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman
India: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (wk & c), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
