Daijiworld Media Network
Rajkot, Oct 18 : Rajkot is hosting its 15th ODI, but this is just the second match on this ground. The hosts lost the first ever ODI here - by a small margin of 9 runs to England, in January, 2013. It was a match that saw both teams score over 300 runs, meaning it should be a good batting wicket. Will it stay the same today? Will cricket take centrestage and unite this city as well as the country?
South Africa have won the toss and have opted to bat
Teams:
India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni(w/c), Suresh Raina, Axar Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Mohit Sharma
South Africa (Playing XI): Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock(w), Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers(c), Jean-Paul Duminy, David Miller, Farhaan Behardien, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel
Pitch Report: 'This is such a terrific pitch to bat on. The wicket looks beautiful, the outfield looks very good. You would want to win the toss and bat first. Batters have a wonderful opportunity today. Runs, runs, runs,' reckon Sunil Gavaskar and Graeme Smith.
The bowlers held their own and were also helped along by some unnecessary aggression shown by the South African batsmen. Skipper AB de Villiers complemented MSD's batting, but also added that his team would continue with their aggressive approach going ahead. While controlled aggression is the way to go, the visitors batted with gay abandon - often throwing away their wickets and hurting their own prospects. The likes of Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock and David Miller haven't been amongst the runs - a fact that will not be lost on them.
Back to the match, India came storming back into the series with a superbly executed 22-run win in the second ODI in Indore. It wasn't a flawless performance though, the batsmen struggled and if not for a battling unbeaten 92 by MS Dhoni - might have well got way less than the final score of 247. The skipper has been under severe pressure - not just about his captaincy but also with respect to his own batting. With the pressure off, will Mahendra Singh Dhoni resort to his natural style of batting? Barring Rohit Sharma, the top-order hasn't fired either. India would love for more significant contributions from the likes of Dhawan, Kohli and Raina.
The series is nicely poised at 1-1 and the carnival now moves across to the western Indian city of Rajkot. The third match of any 5-match series gains immense significance, the winner will put themselves in pole position - going into the final two matches, but it isn't just cricket that's making all the news on this Sunday afternoon. The Patidar agitation has threatened to cast a shadow on the actual match itself. While plenty of political motives are attached to this protest, one hopes that cricket will be the eventual winner - in what is turning out to be a keenly contested ODI series.
Match Preview:
With the series parity restored with a rare, old-fashioned low-scoring thriller in Indore, India and South Africa move to Rajkot in search of a decisive lead in the third One-Day International (ODI) of the five-match series, on Sunday (October 18). The possibility of a political disruption from Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and a few poor umpiring calls thus far, have marred the lead-up to what should be a fascinating clash between two sides that look evenly-matched for the first time since the start of the tour on October 2nd, 2015.
The track in Rajkot has often been dubbed as one that most batsmen would love to carry around with them, but left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja's recent heroics with the ball against Tripura (6-27 & 5-45) and Jharkhand (6-71 & 7-55) in the Ranji Trophy will give both camps a fair idea of what to expect on Sunday. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's punt of playing Axar Patel, the left-arm spinner and a number seven batsman expected to tonk a few, ahead of an effective leg-spinner in Amit Mishra paid off well. With Jadeja generating copious amounts of turn, Axar will be licking his fingers before Sunday's fixture.
Even as Dhoni defended Shikhar Dhawan's recent slump in form, the concerns at the top of the order are evident. Rohit Sharma remains key to India's plans upfront while Ajinkya Rahane's performances in a new role - at number three - have also been part of the positives in the series so far. Virat Kohli has gone 12 innings without a fifty-plus score but Dhoni has put all his faith in his talent, to come good in a new batting role.
Dhoni, whose typically-menacing willow wilted in the face of extra pace from a 20-year-old youngster Kagiso Rabada in Kanpur, was restored to a great extent in his innings-reviving 92-run knock in Indore, that went on to be pivotal for India's victory. The widely-talked about slump in form and reflexes were well and truly rubbished by the skipper in inimitable fashion. There are still issues, however, with the crucial batting roles of the number six and seven, with Suresh Raina failing on both occasions so far while Axar too has been merely a makeshift option.
Among the bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar retains his faith in his own ability to move the ball both ways but his opening spell has been worrying for India in the two games so far. The otherwise disciplined bowler in the outfit, has found it difficult to get the ball to swing early on and his gentle medium pace has often been dealt with rather consummate ease. Umesh Yadav has typically gone through periods of being erratic and brilliant in equal measure and his captain will hope for a much better start on Sunday. Harbhajan Singh put on a tidy performance under pressure in Indore and with the possibility of more turn in Rajkot, his impact could be much bigger.
The visitors' camp, meanwhile, would have spent a bit of time trying to find a reason for a template collapse in the low chase in Indore. Just when they looked in complete command, a wicket, against the run of play, sent them down a downward spiral in the second One-dayer. AB de Villiers is in an incredible phase of his career where fans - irrespective of their loyalties - let his name resonate around the ground. The South African captain has expressed his delight at the amount of adulation he has received thus far, but can ill-afford to get carried away. He began the series with a devastating knock in Kanpur but the pressure got the better of him in Indore. When the teams square off in Rajkot, he will hope to tonk a handful and take the game away from the hosts as soon as possible.
The real cause of concern for South Africa remains in the middle and lower-middle order, where David Miller has struggled to execute his duties of an able finisher. Miller, all of 26, has endured a slump in form, identical to Kohli, but the South African camp is expected to stick by the youngster they have invested heavily in. Dale Steyn was at his best in the second ODI, showing no signs of his recent slump in form and effectiveness in limited-overs cricket. Morne Morkel's return to the side too has bolstered them to a great extent. The most eye-catching performer, however, has been the feisty, young Rabada. His ability to keep his nerve against a finisher like Dhoni in the final over of the game speaks volumes of his temperament. The right-arm pacer has packed in smart variations along with brute pace and would've have been part of India's lengthy discussions in the last couple of days.
After rather one-sided Twenty20 Internationals, the series has sprung to life in the ODIs. If external factors - like protests and poor officiating - stays away, the crowd is in for a riveting contest.
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