3 things South Africa can do to defeat India in 3rd T20I

South Africa have a precious 1-0 lead heading into the third and final T20I of the series at the iconic Wanderers in Johannesburg on Thursday. The Proteas won the rain-curtailed encounter, while the series opener in Durban was entirely washed out. South Africa could clinch the series with a win tonight after each of their last four attempts has either resulted in a draw or a loss.

Apart from the series being on the line, the upcoming contest is crucial to both sides' preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup as there is only a handful of matches left before the ICC event scheduled for June.

South Africa did not dish out a clinical display to beat India in the second T20I, but what matters is that they crossed the line in the end. The hosts will be hopeful of stringing together a much more cohesive performance, but it will be tricky without Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee, who have been withdrawn from the remainder of the white-ball leg.

On that note, let us take a look at three things South Africa can do to defeat India in the third T20I.

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#1 Subdue India's batting

The Proteas pacers were on point in the second T20I at Gqeberha, with the young Indian batters struggling to adjust to the pace and bounce in foreign conditions. This marks the first international trip to South Africa for the majority of the Indian batters and it showed.

Yashasvi Jaiswal struggled with the extra bounce and departed for a duck, while Shubman Gill was undone by lack of it to depart for a duck as well. Tilak Varma also struggled initially with the bounce but compiled 29 runs. Suryakumar Yadav enjoyed the conditions, which augurs well for his style of batting.

The current Indian team's strength is their batting, which is why the South Africans need to make early inroads. A lot will rely on the bowlers who will replace Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee in the playing XI. The Indian top order has been in good form as well, so it would prove to keep them quiet twice in a row.

Even if the top unit fails, South Africa still have the middle order to deal with, much like they found out in the second T20I. Despite reducing India to 6-2 after two overs, the visitors still comfortably posted 180 runs.

Bounce is still the Proteas' route to a wicket, but it could also backfire.

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#2 Maintain the same batting approach

South Africa made most of the improved batting conditions in the second T20I, catalyzed by dew. The Proteas batters capitalized on the out-of-sorts Indian pace unit to amass 39 runs off the first two overs to set the tempo for the shortened run chase.

Team India are heavily struggling when it comes to their pace department. Arshdeep Singh has looked off-color of late, while Mohammed Siraj and Mukesh Kumar are also settling into their roles. South Africa did well to take them on in the second T20I, and with India thin on options, the same could be on the cards in the third game as well.

South Africa also have a dominant in-form middle order that promotes that kind of approach. The likes of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, and Tristan Stubbs can take the game away quickly, particularly if the openers have laid even a relatively solid foundation.

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#3 Keep the same bowling combination

Reshaping the bowling attack in the absence of Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee will be South Africa's biggest headache for the third T20I. Left-arm pacer Nandre Burger is likely to make his debut and serve as a like-to-like replacement for Jansen.

When it comes to the second change, South Africa can either go with a pacer in Ottniel Baartman or a spinner in Keshav Maharaj. The Wanderers is generally a pacer-friendly venue, but it does have a small say for spinners as well. However, the Proteas must continue with four pacers, one frontline spinner, and Aiden Markram as the part-time spin-bowling option.

Keshav Maharaj has only played one T20I since the 2022 T20 World Cup. He conceded 40 runs in three overs in that game, which came against Australia in September.

Furthermore, the Indian batting unit is loaded with left-handed batters. Even if one of them is benched, the likely candidates to replace them are Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan.

Shreyas is a good player of spin, while Kishan will also not hesitate to dominate the deliveries coming into him.

Who will win the final T20I between India and South Africa? Let us know what you think.