The Men in Blue are all set to host South Africa for a 3-match ODI series that is scheduled to begin from March 12. The hosts are coming after a terrible defeat at the hands of New Zealand while South Africa is high on success as they whitewashed Australia previously at home. The first ODI of the series will be played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala, beginning at 1:30 PM IST.
Now, as team India comes back home, they will be looking to establish their dominance in the upcoming series while South Africa would eye on continuing their winning streak.
For India, Rohit Sharma still remains unavailable after the player suffered a calf injury during the 5th T20I against New Zealand. However, Shikhar Dhawan, Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are not fir and will be joining the team in Dharamshala. Audience attention will be on Hardik Pandya as the player has recently performed exceptionally well in the domestic game.
On the other hand, the South Africa team is well-equipped with Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen, who are back after being rested for the ODIs against Australia. Moreover, Janneman Malan has been given his maiden India tour call as the 16th member of the squad.
Pitch Report & Weather Conditions
The match will be played at the HPCA stadium in Dharamshala, and the pitch here is known to be a bowling pitch, assisting the seamers very well during the first inning of the game. The team winning the toss is expected to bowl first and take advantage of the pitch conditions.
The day isn’t well for a game as rain & thunderstorms are predicted throughout the day. The temperature will be around 8-12 degrees Celsius.
Team News
India
Shikhar Dhawan, Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have returned to the team after recovering from respective injuries. Rohit Sharma is still recovering from the calf injury he suffered during the 5 T20I against New Zealand. Prithvi Shaw is most likely to open beside Shikhar Dhawan in the absence of Rohit Sharma.
Probable Playing XI: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah.
South Africa
While Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen have joined the team back after being rested for the ODIs against Australia, choosing between Temba Bavuma or Janneman Malan is going to be a tough task. However, we believe that the team would not like to risk things in the first ODI and thus, will go for Buvama. As Rabada remains unavailable, Lungi Ngidi is set to lead the bowling side.
Probable Playing XI: Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (C & WK), Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen, JJ Smuts, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Beuran Hendricks.
Key Players
India
Virat Kohli
Hardik Pandya
South Africa
Quinton de Kock
Faf du Plessis
Head-to-head
Total – 84
India – 35
South Africa – 46
No result – 3
