India take on South Africa in the series decider as Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bowl first in the fifth T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on December 19.
India made three changes to its fold and brought in Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar and Sanju Samson in place of Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav and Shubman Gill respectively. On the other hand, George Linde replaced Anrich Nortje in South Africa's playing XI for the series decider, which is currently tilted in India's favour at 2-1.
ALSO READ: Wildermuth, Renshaw's tons help Brisbane Heat pull off highest-ever chase in BBL history
What did the captains say after the toss?
South Africa captain Aiden Markram, after winning the toss, said:
"We are going to bowl first. The wicket looks quite dew, probably some dew later on and ball comes on better. There's everything to play for, focus is on the World Cup and we have quite a few games here. Quite a few good signs with the ball in hand, looking to finish the tour on a positive note. Linde comes in for Nortje."
Meanwhile, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav, after losing the toss, said:
"We were looking to bat first. The wicket looks good, there won't be dew and we want to put the runs on the board. It almost feels full. Let's see what we want from this game, yes the series is on the line, but it is about expressing yourself and enjoying the game. Bumrah comes in for Harshit, Washi comes in for Kuldeep and Gill picked up a niggle in Lucknow, so Sanju comes in."
ALSO READ: Sourav Ganguly opens up on serious fight with BCCI to protect India legend's selection
India's Playing XI:
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma(w), Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh
South Africa's Playing XI:
Quinton de Kock(w), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman
Pitch Report
"Let’s begin with the dimensions - to my right, it’s 65 metres; to my left, 63 metres; and straight down the ground, it stretches to 71 metres. So there’s a slight directional bias to keep in mind. There are plenty of pitch options here at the square, but tonight we’re playing on black soil. Now, having a close look at the surface, it does appear slightly dry. Given what we saw earlier in the tour, we’ve dealt with plenty of cold conditions, but today feels a lot more normal in terms of atmosphere. With that dryness, you’d expect some turn for the spinners, but despite the visible cracks, the mosaic edges are firm and don’t shift when touched, which suggests the ball may not grip or turn as dramatically as it sometimes does in this part of the world. There’s also an even layer of grass, which usually means good bounce and stroke-play, and if we go by IPL numbers rather than internationals, scores around the 200 mark are quite common here. That’s probably the benchmark teams will have in mind heading in. Traditionally, you’d think chasing is preferable, but interestingly, at this venue, sides batting first have actually won more than they’ve lost," Deep Dasgupta and Pommie Mbwanga analysed the pitch.
Head-to-Head
India and South Africa have faced each other 34 times in T20Is. Over the course of these encounters, India has held the upper hand, securing victory in 20 of those matches. Meanwhile, South Africa have claimed 13 wins of their own against the Men in Blue. Aside from these decisive results, only one fixture between the two nations has ended without a result.