India will be taking on South Africa in the third and final T20 game of the three-match series on Thursday, 8 October, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Having lost the series already, the hosts will be looking forward to avoid a whitewash at the hands of the Proteas. India have not played much of T20 international matches prior to the ongoing series, in fact they have played the least number of games, unlike other countries.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2016 is in the horizon and India will now be playing a number of international T20 games before that. But will it be enough to take on heavyweights in the T20 World Cup? We will have to wait and watch!
But before that, MS Dhoni-led Team India will have to win the third T20 against an upbeat South Africa. Let us have a look at some of the key clashes that one can expect from the match:
Rohit Sharma vs Kagiso Rabada: Sharma has been in good form in this series, having hit a century in the first T20 game in Dharamshala. In the second game, he got to a good start but threw his wicket away. His running between the wickets has been an issue and hopefully he will sort that out before the third T20. Meanwhile, Rabada has bowled fast and straight. The young Proteas paceman has been impressive in this series so far. Can he emerge victorious in the contest against Sharma in the third T20 in Kolkata? We will have wait for an answer till Thursday.
Virat Kohli vs Chris Morris: Kohli played an outstanding supporting role to Rohit Sharma in the first T20 game but got out cheaply in the second T20 match at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. Sharma arguably can be held responsible for that poor running between the wickets again. Kohli looked to be in good shape otherwise and can be as destructive as Sharma if allowed to settle down. Morris will have to be watchful of Kohli during the third T20 at the Eden Gardens. The lanky Proteas seamer has bowled well in the second game but he has to cut down on his economy rate.
Suresh Raina vs Imran Tahir: A leggie against a left-handed attacking batsman - what a contest this will be! Tahir dismissed Raina in the second game and almost got a hat-trick. Raina lofted a flighted delivery straight to the man standing in the short cover position. Tahir knows how dangerous Raina can be in this format of the game and would love to get his wicket yet again in the final T20 match.
Harbhajan Singh vs JP Duminy: This contest will be similar to 'experience vs hard hitting classy batting.' Harbhajan Singh may not turn the ball as much as Ravichandran Ashwin does but he still has it in him to trick any batsman in the shorter format of the international game and we have witnessed that a number of times in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His tight line and length can cause some problems for Duminy who also has been in sublime touch in the ongoing series.
Last but not the least, Ab de Villiers vs Ravichandran Ashwin: This has been a riveting contest in this series so far. Ashwin has managed to dismiss De Villiers twice in this series and both were peach of deliveries. It is evident that De Villiers loves the ball to come on to the bat but Ashwin's slow pace has surely caused some serious trouble for the devastating batsman. Can Ashwin pick De Villiers up for the third consecutive time in the series or will it be the latter who will get the better of the former?
