News India chose to field first in the third T20I against South Africa after Suryakumar Yadav won the toss on a night already glistening with dew. The decision came amid two late changes: Jasprit Bumrah has flown back to Ahmedabad for personal reasons, while Axar Patel is down with illness.
“Looks a touch slippery out there, so we’ll have a bowl,” Suryakumar said moments before kick-off, acknowledging the obvious sheen on the outfield.
Bumrah’s withdrawal handed a debut to Kolkata Knight Riders quick Harshit Rana, whose useful lower-order hitting nudged the selectors into pairing wrist-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy. The latter sits on 49 T20I wickets; Kuldeep is one of only five bowlers worldwide with at least 50 wickets at a better average.
Former India seamer Irfan Pathan, on TV duty, felt the double-spin gamble made sense. “If the pitch grips even a fraction, Kuldeep and Varun give you wicket-taking options through the middle,” he said, adding a quick caveat about the wet ball.
South Africa shuffled the pack too, making three switches from the side that levelled the series in New Chandigarh. In came Tristan Stubbs, Corbin Bosch and the fit-again Anrich Nortje for David Miller, Lutho Sipamla and George Linde, leaving only Aiden Markram and Donovan Ferreira to cover the spin department.
Markram was unruffled. “We’re happy to set a score; it’s about adapting quickly,” the Proteas captain noted, hinting at a possible wicket on the slower side despite the moisture.
Line-ups
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (capt.), Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman.
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt.), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
Quick take
• Dew factor: bowlers may struggle to grip the ball after the powerplay.
• Two wrist-spinners for India is bold; control could trump mystery if conditions stay slick.
• South Africa’s extra pace—Nortje and Ngidi together—signals an attacking approach despite the damp.
The series is locked at 1-1. Both sides, short of full strength, will now see which combination best survives the hill-station humidity.
