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South Africa’s north Indian leg of the tour ended on an anti-climactic note in Lucknow, with the abandoned match bringing little closure. The visitors now move west to Ahmedabad to conclude their month-long tour of India.
The washout extended India’s unbeaten T20I streak to 14 matches, while South Africa now have only a chance to draw level in the five-match series in the final game. While conditions in Ahmedabad are expected to be different, the bigger focus for South Africa is the opportunity to test a near full-strength XI—minus Kagiso Rabada—in Indian conditions ahead of next year’s World Cup.
A defeat would mark South Africa’s 19th loss in 29 T20Is since the 2024 World Cup, underlining their recent struggles.
Much of those concerns stem from their inability to get strong starts. During Quinton de Kock’s brief break from international duty, South Africa were the poorest-performing Full Member side in the Powerplay, averaging just 20.21 runs at a scoring rate of 7.21. Those issues have persisted even after his return, with top-order collapses proving costly in Cuttack and Dharamsala.
While a win would help square the series and provide a much-needed boost heading into the World Cup, several questions remain unanswered. Despite having multiple options, South Africa are yet to settle on a reliable No. 5 batter, or identify the ideal bowling combination that balances wicket-taking ability without leaving the tail overly long.
With three changes made in each of the two matches so far, it remains to be seen whether South Africa will continue to experiment in the final game or opt for what they believe is their best XI. Either way, they will hope to find clarity on at least some of their concerns before departing India.
Squads:
India Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma(w), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Sanju Samson, Shahbaz Ahmed
South Africa Squad: Quinton de Kock(w), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman, David Miller, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde, Tony de Zorzi, Lutho Sipamla, Kwena Maphaka
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The washout extended India’s unbeaten T20I streak to 14 matches, while South Africa now have only a chance to draw level in the five-match series in the final game. While conditions in Ahmedabad are expected to be different, the bigger focus for South Africa is the opportunity to test a near full-strength XI—minus Kagiso Rabada—in Indian conditions ahead of next year’s World Cup.
A defeat would mark South Africa’s 19th loss in 29 T20Is since the 2024 World Cup, underlining their recent struggles.
Much of those concerns stem from their inability to get strong starts. During Quinton de Kock’s brief break from international duty, South Africa were the poorest-performing Full Member side in the Powerplay, averaging just 20.21 runs at a scoring rate of 7.21. Those issues have persisted even after his return, with top-order collapses proving costly in Cuttack and Dharamsala.
While a win would help square the series and provide a much-needed boost heading into the World Cup, several questions remain unanswered. Despite having multiple options, South Africa are yet to settle on a reliable No. 5 batter, or identify the ideal bowling combination that balances wicket-taking ability without leaving the tail overly long.
With three changes made in each of the two matches so far, it remains to be seen whether South Africa will continue to experiment in the final game or opt for what they believe is their best XI. Either way, they will hope to find clarity on at least some of their concerns before departing India.
Squads:
India Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma(w), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Sanju Samson, Shahbaz Ahmed
South Africa Squad: Quinton de Kock(w), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman, David Miller, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde, Tony de Zorzi, Lutho Sipamla, Kwena Maphaka
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All posters, please take note of the following guidelines for match threads on PakPassion:
1. No personal insults at other posters, players, officials, coaching staff, etc.
2. No making fun of players', officials', or coaching staff's names.
3. Do not add any references to media, their social media, or post any pictures or screenshots from other sports websites.
4. Stick to commenting on this match. There is no need to bring other countries into the match discussion, as there are plenty of other threads where those discussions can be added.
