India take on South Africa as Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bowl first in the third T20I at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion on November 13. Meanwhile, Ramandeep Singh marked his India debut as he replaced Avesh Khan in India's playing XI for the all-important clash.
What did the captains say?
India skipper Suryakumar Kumar, after losing the toss, said:
"It is okay. We have done well in the last two games while batting first. The boys have come out with clear plans and executing it, I have been really happy with that. Just be clear, go out and enjoy yourself. These boys have made my job easier. We have one change - Ramandeep makes his debut. Avesh has done well for us but one of the two bowlers had to make a sacrifice."
Meanwhile, South Africa captain Aiden Markram, after winning the toss, said:
"We are going to bowl first again. The wicket looks good. Not quite at our best. We are making slow progress. The bowlers did a good job in the last game. The batters need to spend time in the middle and not be too desperate. We have full trust in our batting unit and hope we do something special tonight".
India's Playing XI:
Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy
South Africa's Playing XI:
Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Andile Simelane, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Lutho Sipamla
Pitch Report
"There is a big rain storm that came last night and hope it stays away. Looks like a bit dry. A typical Centurion wicket will have a bit of sheen which is not there. The spinners will have a part to play. The batters enjoy batting here because of the bounce. The boundary size is pretty small; 59 and 64 meters square and 82 meters down the ground," Shaun Pollock and Ashwell Prince analysed the pitch.
Head-to-Head Record
India and South Africa have played 29 T20I matches against each other where the Men in Blue hold the edge by winning 16 matches. One match between them ended without result.
India started the series with a triumphant win in the opener. Later, South Africa staged a stunning comeback and scripted a three-wicket win over India to level the four-match series 1-1.
