With momentum on their side India lock horns with South Africa as Proteas won the toss and opted to bowl first in the fifth T20I at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday (June 19).
Rishabh Pant didn't make any change in the playing XI for the decider while Keshav Maharaj took up the captaincy mantle in absence of Temba Bavuma has been ruled out for the final game. Meanwhile, Tristan Stubbs, Reeza Hendricks and KG Rabada are back in the South Africa's playing XI in place of Bavuma, Marco Jansen and Shamsi.
"The practice isn't working for me (on the toss). Looks like a good wicket, we would like to get anything around 180-190. We just need to focus on the process and put in our 100% into the game. Playing the same team," India skipper Rishabh Pant said before the match.
"We will bowl first, the overhead conditions, the dew, we can look to exploit the conditions, but it does look like a good wicket to bat on. Tristan Stubbs, Reeza Hendricks and KG Rabada are back, they replace Temba Bavuma, Marco Jansen and Shamsi. We have gone for the extra batter, hopefully, we'll look to utilize it while batting upfront," South Africa's stand-in captain Keshav Maharaj said after winning the toss.
The series hasn't been one of India's best but somehow, just like top teams do, the 'Men In Blue' have found their way out to win matches under pressure. That augurs well as Pant and his men aim to wrap up the series at the 'Garden City.
Pitch report
"This venue has been a nightmare for bowlers but we have seen a lot of fireworks from the batters. One reason is the high altitude of this city. Second reason is the dimension of the ground. 67m side boundaries, the straight boundary is 77m. The pitch today is nice and firm, something the batters enjoy. There are some decent number of cracks where the spinners would land the ball and they are wide. The smaller pieces are wobbly too. So this might help spinners and the pitch seems abrasive to the touch. Yuzi Chahal has got more than 50 wickets in T20 cricket at this venue. It's been overcast for the last 4-5 days, so haven't seen much of dew. Having said that the chasing side has benefited a lot in general here. The toss might be important for this decider," Deep Dasgupta analyses the M Chinnaswamy Stadium's pitch.
India's Playing XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan.
South Africa's Playing XI: Quinton de Kock(w), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj(c), Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje.
