IND vs SA 2022: 3 player battles to watch out for in the 3rd ODI

India and South Africa will lock horns in the third and final ODI of the series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday, October 11. With the series level at 1-1, both teams have everything to play for in the capital city.

While South Africa took the opening honors in Lucknow in a rain-shortened encounter, India stormed back in style at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Sunday, October 9. Led by a Shreyas Iyer century (113*) and Ishan Kishan's 93, the hosts chased down 279 with minimal fuss.

There has been no shortage of quality across both ranks with the series ebbing and flowing both ways thus far. Eventually, the quintessential case of 'who handles pressure better' could be a differentiating factor as the two teams draw the battle lines one final time.

On that note, here's a look at three crucial player battles that could determine the fate of the ODI series decider between India and South Africa.

---

#1 Shikhar Dhawan vs Wayne Parnell

It's no secret that Indian skipper Shikhar Dhawan's struggles have reached another point of discomfort. South Africa's bowlers have been on the money from the word go and have tied him down in knots.

Wayne Parnell has been at the forefront of that, accounting for Dhawan's wicket in both ODIs thus far. The left-arm seamer got the ball to swing and skid off the deck a lot quicker than it seemed, posing many a problem for the southpaw.

Dhawan will hope to put his lean patch behind him at his home ground where he has played all his cricket. If he is to do so, however, he must find a way to counter Parnell's challenge on Tuesday.

---

#2 Washington Sundar vs Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock's susceptibility against off-spin is well-documented and unsurprisingly, India had Washington Sundar bowl the second over of the innings in Ranchi. It was Mohammed Siraj who eventually accounted for the southpaw's wicket and soon after, Sundar was replaced by Shahbaz Ahmed with two right-handers in the middle.

Clearly, this is a matchup that the hosts could use yet again in the Delhi ODI. The wicketkeeper-batter averages 39.61 against off-spin in ODIs at a strike rate just a shade under 90. The nature of the format gives him more time to ease his way in, although Sundar's nagging radar could just tie him down.

Expect this matchup to be a defining one when India and South Africa face off on Tuesday.

---

#3 Shreyas vs Anrich Nortje

A bemusing takeaway from the second ODI was the South African seamers not choosing to pepper Shreyas Iyer enough with the short-pitched ploy. After all, it's not as though they don't have the requisite wheels within their ranks to do so.

Thus, all eyes will be on Anrich Nortje and how he goes up against his former IPL skipper at the Delhi Capitals, incidentally in Delhi. Easily one of the fastest bowlers in the world, hitting that hard length and testing the bounce of the surface has to be the way to go against an in-form Iyer.

Of course, with Iyer having found a way to deal with it in ODIs thus far, he should be able to come up trumps himself. Either way, this is as tantalizing a battle as it can get should Nortje lead South Africa's charge with a bumper barrage.

---

Which other matchup do you think could decide the fate of this decider? Let us know below in the comments!

---

​