India Breaks Toss Jinx, Opts to Bowl First in Vizag Decider Against South Africa
Kohli’s strong Vizag record and India’s first toss win in 20 games set stage for high-stakes series finale
India, Dec 06 : The India–South Africa thriller resumes today at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam, a venue buzzing with anticipation especially with Virat Kohli’s formidable record here. Ticket demand surged after his century in Raipur, and another packed house is expected.
In the biggest pre-match talking point, India finally ended their extraordinary run of 20 consecutive toss losses. KL Rahul won the toss in the series decider, breaking the bizarre streak. With dew likely to play a major role, India opted to bowl first mirroring conditions that shaped the outcomes of the previous ODIs.
The match also presents another test of KL Rahul’s captaincy as India chase their first ODI win of the season. South Africa, meanwhile, are eyeing a rare double winning both the T20I and ODI series on Indian soil.
No major changes are expected in India’s XI. Despite initial concerns, Prasidh Krishna is set to play, while Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj continue to be rested. South Africa, however, are forced into adjustments after injuries to Nandre Burger and Tony de Zorzi. Ottneil Baartman and Rubin Hermann are likely to slot in.
Probable Playing XIs
India:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul (C/WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
South Africa:
Quinton de Kock (WK), Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (C), Matthew Breetzke, Rubin Hermann, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman
India vs South Africa ODI Head-to-Head
Matches: 96
India: 41
South Africa: 52
No Result: 3
