India vs South Africa, 3rd T20I: Preview, Team News, Live stream and TV Channel Info

India’s batted poorly in the 2nd T20I, allowing South Africa to gain an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series

After the unforgettable bottle-throwing drama which unfolded in Cuttack, now the caravan shifts to Kolkata for the last T20I. Ironically, the Eden Gardens has itself gained a notorious reputation with regards to abominable crowd reactions.

But, with the series already sealed by South Africa, the contest offers a chance for both teams to experiment with different options.

Earlier, in the Barabati stadium, it was a night of despair for the Indian team members. After their batsmen were decimated ruthlessly, the irate spectators vented their frustration by targeting the fielders.

Therefore, the “Men in Blue” would certainly want to regain lost ground and approach the ODI series without aggravating their woes. There are plenty of question marks for MS Dhoni’s side such as the lack of finishing power and the abysmal form of the seam bowlers.

At the end of the 2nd T20I, MS Dhoni had said, "It's slightly different in T20. It is a very short format. Personally, I feel I use a bit too much of my brain in this format. It is very important that I keep myself a bit free, and go and play my shots.”

The South African side is in a comfortable space at the moment after consecutive victories against the home team. The impressive batsmen who have performed admirably against the Indian spinners were complemented by a combination of potent bowling and fervent fielding. However, the team management would want to guard against complacency as they battle a wounded Indian team.

Hailing his bowlers, Faf Du Plessis had mentioned, "I thought there was great variation in those first six overs. There was spin, there was pace and then we got wickets. Obviously there were two great run-outs as well but the key is to get wickets upfront. Our bowlers did that today. And then, the guys coming in after six overs kept trying to do that as well."???

Live Telecast

TV Channel: Star Sports 1, HD1 (English) and SS3, HD3 (Hindi)

Online Stream: www.starsports.com

Date: Thursday, October 8

Time: 1900 IST (1530 SAST)

Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata

For any other updates regarding the match, follow the Sportskeeda website.

Team News

India

Being an experienced campaigner, Dhoni would want to see his team fighting its way out of a rut and procure momentum.

But, he will have to rethink the batting combination. While Rohit Sharma showed glimpses of his refined hitting, the other batsmen have failed to capitalize on their opportunities.

Without any tangible support, Ravichandran Ashwin has virtually carried the bowling attack on his own, so the team management will look to bolster the lower order by bringing in Stuart Binny and hope that Amit Mishra provides them with a solution to counter the naturally aggressive South African batsmen.

South Africa

On the other hand, the Proteas will look to test their bench strength by bringing in a few of the lesser-known players.

With an eye on the ODIs and Tests which follow, the South Africans might aspire to test the Indian batsmen against spin by bringing in the leggie Eddie Leie to partner Imran Tahir.

Since the batting unit is firing in all cylinders, they could even experiment by handing a debut to uncapped batsman Khaya Zondo. The prospect of changing a settled team should also give Faf Du Plessis an option to evaluate all the contenders before the World T20 in 2016.

Pitch & Conditions

The veteran curator Prabir Mukherjee, who has often run into clashes with the Indian captains, has assured that the surface will suit the batsmen completely. Even though there is considerable hardness underneath the pitch, the spinners could also obtain assistance in the fabled venue.

There are showers predicted in the afternoon which should increase the humidity factor. The possibility of dew is modest and does not appear to be as daunting as in Dharamsala.

Nevertheless, both captains might want to bat first and apply scoreboard pressure on the opposition.

Recent Form & Key Stats

India: L-L-L-W-L

South Africa: W-W-L-W-W

• India’s last bilateral T20I series win came against Australia in October 2013. Since then, they have played two series with a defeat against England and a draw against Zimbabwe.
• In the previous match at Cuttack, South Africa sent India crashing to 92 all-out which is the lowest recorded total in any completed T20I in the India.
• Ravichandran Ashwin is now the highest wicket-taker for India in T20Is. He went past Irfan Pathan in the 2nd T20I.

With only pride at stake, Amit Mishra could finally get a look-in

Possible Line-ups

India XI

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Stuart Binny, Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra

South Africa XIAB de Villiers (wk), Hashim Amla/Quinton De Kock, Faf du Plessis (capt), JP Duminy, David Miller, Farhaan Behardien, Chris Morris/Albie Morkel, Kagiso Rabada, Kyle Abbott, Marchant de Lange, Imran Tahir