3 things India need to do right to beat South Africa in the 3rd T20I ft. Axar Patel's usage
The series is currently tied at 1-1, and both India and South Africa have everything to play for as they head to Centurion for the third T20I on Wednesday, November 13. With four matches comprising the series, both teams will know they can't afford to slip up.
India have had a mixed series so far. They secured a comfortable 61-run win in the opening game. Varun Chakaravarthy's stellar five-wicket haul seemed like it would get them over the line in the second T20I before a rearguard effort from Tristan Stubbs and Gerald Coetzee pulled things back for the hosts.
In the third T20I, the Men in Blue will need to get everything right from a tactical perspective against a strong opposition.
India’s squad for 4 T20Is against South Africa: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.
On that note, here are three things India need to do right to beat South Africa in the third T20I.
#3 Axar Patel needs to play a more central role
In the second T20I, Suryakumar Yadav came in for a little criticism for his failure to use Axar Patel more with the ball. Despite Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakaravarthy bowling well on a slightly sticky wicket, the Indian captain used the left-arm spinner for only one over.
While conditions in Centurion are likely to be a little different, it's safe to say that India need to get more out of Axar. They made the right call by promoting him in the batting lineup in the last game, and he was unlucky to be run out at the non-striker's end despite looking like one of the visitors' more comfortable batters out in the middle.
A central role for Axar could truly unlock the entire lineup for India.
#2 India need to put the pressure on South Africa's spinners
The second T20I saw Keshav Maharaj and Nqaba Peter bowl their quota of eight overs for only 44 runs. While the raw numbers alone do not indicate much, with the pitch in Gqeberha being rather tough to bat on, it's safe to say that India can't let the same thing happen again in Centurion.
The visitors need to put pressure on the South African spinners, who need to bowl a good quota of overs. Marco Jansen is currently being fielded as the third pacer, and while there's a chance that the Proteas will beef up their fast-bowling unit, attacking the spin overs they get will be key for India.
Barring Rinku Singh, all of India's batters are more than capable of taking on spin. Just like they did in the powerplay of the first T20I to set the tone for the contest, Suryakumar Yadav and Co. must be on the front foot.
#1 Abhishek Sharma needs to take his time against the new ball
Abhishek Sharma knows only one way to play in T20 cricket, and that's attacking the new ball right from the outset. While his intent cannot be faulted and his approach is the right one for the shortest format, it's now gotten to a point where he needs to give himself some time to get accustomed to the new conditions in South Africa.
Having struggled against pace and bounce in the two matches thus far, Abhishek must take a few balls to get his eye in before attempting big shots. Sanju Samson has been aggressive from the outset, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue for India if one of their openers gets off to a slightly circumspect start.