After missing a golden opportunity to win its first-ever test series in South Africa, Team India will be looking to even it up in the 3 match ODI series starting this Wednesday on 19th January. Stand-in skipper KL Rahul will be leading the Indian side in the India vs South Africa battle as the newly appointed captain Rohit Sharma is unavailable due to injury. South Africa, on the other hand, will be full of confidence after a remarkable effort in the test series. Skipper Temba Bavuma has a great blend of youth and experience in his squad. With players such as Quinton de Kock and David Miller getting support from youngsters like Marco Jansen and Janeman Malan, the South Africans will be hoping to repeat the Test series success in the ODI series too.
This series will also mark the comeback of Ravichandran Ashwin as well as the entry of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Venkatesh Iyer in the Indian ODI squad. Moreover, it will be the first time in any format since October 2016 that Virat Kohli will be playing only as a player and not as captain. Indian team enjoyed great results last time they visited the Rainbow nation as they dominated the Proteas during the 6-match series. Former skipper Virat Kohli amassed 558 runs at an astonishing average of 186 while the spin duo of Chahal and Kuldeep shared 33 wickets between them at an average of just 15 as India clinched the series by 5-1. However, it will be interesting to see how the Indian side plays under the leadership of KL Rahul, who will also be on the selectors’ radar as they consider their options for India’s next red-ball leader.
Pitch and Conditions
Date: 19-January-2022
Venue: Boland Park, Paarl
Weather Forecast: The weather at Paarl during this match will be mostly clear and sunny. There will be no interruptions in the match by rain. The temperature will be hovering around 32-34 degrees Celcius with 48% humidity.
Pitch Conditions: The pitch at Boland Park will favor the batsmen as the ball will come nicely onto the bat. Batsmen will look to make full use of the first powerplay with field restrictions allowing only two players outside the 30-yard circle. As the match progresses, the pacers will revert to off-pace deliveries too, using knuckle and slower deliveries. The team winning the toss would like to bat first and post a total of 250+ on the board.
Also Read: Top 10 greatest leg spinners of all time
When, Where, and How to Watch
When: 19th January 2022
Time: 2.00 PM I.S.T, 10.30 PM Local
Where: Star Sports Network and Disney + Hotstar
India vs South Africa Head to Head Record
| Total Matches | 84 |
| India Won | 35 |
| South Africa Won | 46 |
| Draw | 3 |
| Tied | 0 |
Top 3 highest runs scorer in India vs South Africa battle
| Rank | Name | Matches | Runs | Average | Best |
| 1 | Virat Kohli | 27 | 1287 | 64.35 | 160* |
| 2 | Shikhar Dhawan | 18 | 798 | 49.87 | 137 |
| 3 | Quinton de Kock | 13 | 784 | 60.30 | 135 |
Top 3 highest wicket-takers in India vs South Africa battle
| Rank | Name | Matches | Wickets | Average | Best |
| 1 | Yuzvendra Chahal | 07 | 20 | 15.65 | 5-for 22 |
| 2 | Kagiso Rabada | 12 | 17 | 32.70 | 4-for 41 |
| 3 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 14 | 15 | 48.80 | 3-for 41 |
Also Read: 5 best innings of Sourav Ganguly
Previous performances of both teams:
Team South Africa’s performance in the last three ODI matches
| Against | Date | Venue | Result | Team score | Opponent score | Highest Runs | Highest Wickets |
| Sri Lanka | 7-Sep-2021 | Colombo | Lose | 125/10 | 203/9 | Charith Asalanka – 47(71) | Maheesh Theekshana – 4/37 |
| Sri Lanka | 4-Sep-2021 | Colombo | Win | 283/6 | 197/10 | Janeman Malan – 121(135) | Tabrez Shamsi – 5/49 |
| Sri Lanka | 2-Sep-2021 | Colombo | Lose | 286/6 | 300/9 | Avishka Fernando – 118(115) | Keshav Maharaj – 2/30 |
Team India’s performance in the last three ODI matches.
| Against | Date | Venue | Result | Team score | Opponent score | Highest Runs | Highest Wickets |
| Sri Lanka | 23- July -2021 | Colombo | Lose | 225/10 | 227/7 | Avishka Fernando – 76(98) | Akila Dananjaya – 3/44 |
| Sri Lanka | 20- July -2021 | Colombo | Win | 277/7 | 275/9 | Deepak Chahar – 69*(82) | Wanindu Hasaranga – 3/37 |
| Sri Lanka | 18-July-2021 | Colombo | Win | 263/3 | 262/9 | Shikhar Dhawan – 86*(95) | Deepak Chahar – 2/37 |
Fantasy Dream XI picks
Wicket-keeper: Rishabh Pant, Quinton de Kock
Batters: Virat Kohli, Janeman Malan, K.L. Rahul
All-rounders: Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo
Bowlers: Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal
Captain: Virat Kohli
Vice-captain: Marco Jansen
Injury and other updates
- Kagiso Rabada will miss the series to manage workload.
- Rohit Sharma out with Hamstring injury.
- Anrich Nortje also out with hip injury.
- Washington Sundar out with hand injury.
Probable Playing XI
India Probable XI: Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer/Venkatesh Iyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar/Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, and Yuzvendra Chahal
South Africa Probable XI: Janeman Malan, Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj/Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Tabraiz Shamsi
Also Read: Top 10 greatest leg spinners of all time
Players to watch out for
With the extra responsibility of leading the side gone, Kohli will presumably be looking to find his form again. In ODIs, his numbers have been fairly consistent despite a dramatic drop in Test cricket. Since the start of 2020, Kohli has scored 560 runs in 12 ODIs, at an average of 46.66 and a strike rate of 90.90. Shikhar Dhawan enters this series following a dismal Vijay Hazare Trophy where he managed only 56 runs in five innings. He will be looking to make the most of the opportunity.
After having a break-out debut series, Marco Jansen has all the eyes watching him, especially after his recent altercation with Bumrah. It will be interesting to see if he can once again be the X-factor for the Proteas in the absence of Kagiso Rabada. Although he does not have much white-ball experience, he can still be a threat to the Indian batting line-up that has some history against Left-arm pace bowling.
Some Interesting stats
- South Africa have not won an ODI series since sweeping Australia 3-nil in February 2020. They’ve since drawn with Ireland and lost to Sri Lanka.
- KL Rahul will become the 26th player to captain Team India. Also, this match will mark 150th appearance for Bumrah across formats.
- In case he gets an opportunity in the first ODI, Ravichandran Ashwin will be playing his first since 2017.
- Although India has played 3 matches at Boland Park, they have never faced South Africa here. This will be the first India vs South Africa encounter at this stadium.
Records that can be broken in this match
- Yuzvendra Chahal just needs 3 wickets to reach 100 ODI wickets. So far he has 97 wickets in 56 matches. He can also become the fastest Indian along with Jasprit Bumrah(57 matches) to reach this milestone.
- Virat Kohli (5057) needs just nine runs to surpass Sachin Tendulkar (5065) and become India’s highest run-scorer in away ODIs.
- Chahal (16) needs two wickets to surpass Kuldeep Yadav (17) and become India’s highest ODI wicket-taker against South Africa in South Africa.
Conclusion – Writer’s Opinion
Statistically, this series won’t matter much as it does not form part of the World Cup Super League, with those fixtures said to be slotted in at a later date. However, the ongoing chaos in Indian Cricket regarding leadership issues has made this series an interesting one. This series also allows KL to showcase his leadership skills and gain the confidence of selectors. One more thing that will be the focus of attention will be the Indian batting line-up. KL Rahul has confirmed that he will open the innings but what about the middle order? Will Suryakumar Yadav bat at 4 or will it be Shreyas Iyer?
Other than that, who will be the bowling all-rounder for India? Will it be a battle between Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur or the new entrant Venkatesh will get the nod? Moreover, It is also Rahul Dravid’s first series with a full-strength squad. After taking a second-string side to Sri Lanka in July, Dravid will be looking to start building the side that will go to the World Cup in 2024.
Also Read: Top 3 Possible Replacements for India’s Next Test Captain after Kohli
