In the Freedom Trophy 2021/22, two test matches have been completed out of three. The home team South Africa leveled the series by winning the second test very beautifully. KL Rahul is the most runs scorer in the first two test matches with 204 runs. The captain of the South African team D Elgar scored 202 runs and T Bavuma 161. The top three most wicket-takers are from the home side of South Africa from the first two test matches. K Rabada took thirteen wickets, M Jansen twelve, and L Ngidi eleven. From the Indian bowling performers, Mohammed Shami took eleven wickets. SN Thakur took ten wickets and JJ Bumrah six.
So the winning team of this third test match between India and South Africa will win the series which means this will be the most important match of the India tour of South Africa 2021/22. The hosts are so strong at the Newlands, Cape Town cricket ground, that is proved by the records of this ground. 651 is the highest total of the Newlands, Cape Town cricket ground, scored by South Africa against Australia in 2009. Against India, their record is 529/7d posted in 1997. And team India’s highest total of the venue is 414 scored in 2007.
India vs South Africa Highlights today, Tuesday 11-1-2022, 3rd Test, India tour of South Africa from Newlands, Cape Town.
Kohli won the toss and India will bat.
Virat Kohli: “Can’t control what is above your head, the pitch has grass, we understand that. Runs on the board have worked out well, we need to put runs on the board and then utilize the skills of our bowlers after that. Luckily my spasm healed in about three days, gutted it happened before the morning of the previous game. Fit and fine now. I come in for Vihari, Siraj misses out with a niggle, Umesh comes in. It was a tough decision between Ishant and Umesh. Umesh is bowling amazingly well. We’ve got great bench strength.”
Dean Elgar: “Ideally you want to bat first on this surface and given the overhead conditions it might not be a bad idea to bowl first. The cricket we have been playing the last few months has been very special given the number of players we lost. The one good thing about having younger guys is they don’t come with scars. Guys like me have a bit of an old-school mentality which we try to balance and implement that with what we have in the change room. We’re unchanged, what we’ve done in the last Test, got to give players credit in terms of balance and stability.”
India team: 1 KL Rahul, 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 R Ashwin, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Umesh Yadav.
South Africa team: 1 Dean Elgar (capt), 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Keegan Petersen, 4 Rassie van der Dussen, 5 Temba Bavuma, 6 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada 10 Duanne Olivier, 11 Lungi Ngidi.
Form guide
(last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: LWWDW
South Afric: WLWWL
Match Timings: 08:00 GMT | 10:00 Local
Umpires – Allahudien Paleker, Marais Erasmus
TV Umpires – Adrian Holdstock
Match Referee – Andy Pycroft
Reserve Umpire – Bongani Jele
Match number – Test no. 2445
