After a thrilling win over South Africa in the second ODI, India should be quite confident ahead of the third match scheduled at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Sunday.
The third of the five-match ODI series is crucial for both the teams as the series is currently tied at 1-1 and the winner of the Rajkot ODI will be in the driver's seat for the fourth ODI, where the team can even go for a series win. Hence both the teams will give their best performance in Rajkot to take a lead.
There are some big names in both the camps and they will be itching to deliver. Let's look at the two most crucial players each from India and South Africa:
India
Axar Patel
Few eyebrows were raised when India included Patel in the second ODI, but the all-rounder came up with a brilliant bowling performance to help the home team win. The left-arm slow bowler scalped three wickets and bowled a tight line and length, which troubled South Africa. MS Dhoni will be asking for a similar performance from this all-rounder along with some crucial runs with the bat in the lower order as well.
Virat Kohli
Kohli, who is one of the most important batsmen in the Indian batting line up, has not been able to put up a decent performance with the willow in the series so far. He is due for a big score. Kohli is one such Indian batsman, who can change gears as per the situation. He runs beautifully between the wickets and rotates the strike at will, which is a major feature of his batting. Along with it, he can play the big shots when required.
South Africa
JP Duminy
The middle order batsman for South Africa has been one of the most in-form player for the visitors with the willow. The left-hander possesses a special ability to clear the fence with ease, which was witnessed in the T20 series. Apart from his batting, South Africa will ask the all-rounder to take wickets and break partnerships when asked to bowl in the middle orders of the game. If the South African all-rounder gets his act going with both bat and ball, the visitors should be in a commanding position in the third ODI.
Imran Tahir
The South African leggie, who has been earning a huge name in the international circuit for his wicket taking abilities, has troubled the Indian batsmen with his trickery. He has taken four wickets in the ODI series. South Africa, to a large extent, will depend on the services of the spinner to take crucial wickets.
