A win finally in the bag, India will want to carry that momentum forward when they face-off against South Africa in a possibly volatile – nothing to do with acts on the field – 3rd ODI in Rajkot on Sunday.
India pulled off a victory from nowhere in the second one-day international in Indore on Wednesday, with MS Dhoni and the bowlers coming to the fore when the home team desperately needed them to.
Dhoni was the star of the show, scoring a brilliant 92 not out, which helped India to a decent score, before marshalling his troops to perfection in the second innings. India now need to get a little consistency into their game, if they are to go on and win this series against South Africa.
"After the victory in the last match there is certainly a positive vibe in the team," Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who picked up three wickets in the last match, said. "In a five-match series it is always difficult to make a comeback if you lose two matches in a row.
"But the way we came back in the last game and won, it was commendable. That win has brought in a lot of confidence in the side.
"We were down in the first innings, losing a lot of wickets on the trot, but we made a good comeback to win the match. Now we are riding high on confidence. The rest of the matches are very vital for us and if we win this match there will be a lot more confidence in the side."
To do that, the batting and bowling needs to come together in the same match. Dhoni, himself, admitted India haven't played up to their potential so far in this Freedom Series against South Africa, something even the away team's camp feels.
"2-0 in the T20s and 1-0 in the ODIs, we had got some nice momentum behind, but now I think we have given them a little sniff," South Africa's Faf du Plessis said. "1-1 in the series and they will be confident of winning again.
"But, in saying that I don't think both teams have played their best cricket. We have both been firing at about 80 percent. Previous game, their batting collapsed and so did ours. Going forward both teams will be looking to play some basic cricket."
With the series already giving us some exciting matches, imagine how good the games will be if the two sides play up to their full potential. A slugfest with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Dhoni smashing a few for the home team, with AB De Villiers, Hashim Amla and Du Plessis answering in kind.
With the batting power in both teams, you feel it will be the bowling that will decide the 3rd ODI and the series, and India need to show they can stay with South Africa's potent power with the white cherry.
Where to Watch Live
Get the story on India's team selection HERE
Get the Highlights of the Match HERE
India vs South Africa 3rd ODI is set to begin at 1.30 pm local time (10 am SAST. 9 am BST, 4 am ET). Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3 and DD National are the channels to go to to watch the 3rd ODI match live in India. Audience in India can also watch this one-day international game live in Indore via live streaming online on Starsports.com and Hotstar.
Audience in the US can watch India vs South Africa game live on Willow TV, with the live stream option on Willow TV online.
Viewers in the UK can watch India vs South Africa live in the morning on Sky Sports 2, with the live streaming online option on Watch Sky Sports and Sky Go.
Viewers in South Africa can catch all the action on SuperSport, with the online live stream option on SuperSport Live.
Watch the third one-day international live in the Middle East and North Africa on OSN Sports, while the match can be live streamed on OSN Play.
