There is a lot of discussion around Rishabh Pant, there is a lot of excitement around the young Indian bowling crop and there is a lot of intensity around Virat Kohli and the way he goes about his business. After brushing away South Africa in the second T20I in Mohali, the action now shifts to Bengaluru where India would want to tick few more boxes and blank the visitors.
The South Africans, with their raw bowling attack, had no answer to Kohli's batting at Mohali's IS Bindra Stadium in the second T20I. Bengaluru is the venue and this is where, Kohli has been immense in the recent past. The pitch suits the Indian batsmen and it will be another test for Quinton de Kock as a leader.
Enough has been said about how the management wants to test out new players in different roles ahead of the T20 World Cup next year and this will be another chance for the younger crop to stake claim for higher honours.
Kohli could make a change to the playing XI
"Washington is bowling really good, giving us the breakthroughs and also choking the batsmen. He has got very good control and variety as well," opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan said ahead of the match.
"Even Deepak Chahar, he swings the ball both ways and at the same has pace as well. It is the perfect platform for them to perform and build confidence for the T20 World Cup," he further added.
The surface in Bangalore is expected to be an absolute belter and this could force Kohli to make few tweaks to his side. He could opt for Khaleel Ahmed instead of Ravindra Jadeja as the batting looks fairly settled with Washington Sundar batting at number 7.
On Friday, former India captain and NCA head Rahul Dravid spent some time with the Indian players during the practice session and spoke with a number of players which included Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul.
The weather could be a problem during the match and it could well be strop-start affair. However, the match is expected to commence at 7:00 pm IST.
Squads: India: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Rahul Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (capt/wk), Rassie van der Dussen (vc), Temba Bavuma, Junior Dala, Bjorn Fortuin, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, George Linde
