South Africa vs India, 2018: India's predicted XI to take on South Africa in the final ODI

The Indian cricket team sealed the series in style as they defeated South Africa by 73 runs in the fifth ODI to take a 4-1 lead in the six match series.

They will look to further assert their dominance in the final ODI against the Proteas which will take place on February 16 in Centurion.

Having already won the series, we could expect a few changes in the side.

Here is India's predicted XI for the final ODI:

Openers:

Rohit Sharma:

After an extremely poor outing in the first 4 ODIs, Rohit Sharma finally made a mark for himself in the fifth ODI. He scored a match-winning century which helped India take clinch the series 4-1.

Despite being the man responsible for running both Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane out, Rohit made up for the mistakes by doing what he does best.

He will look to end the series on a high and silece all his critics.

Shikhar Dhawan:

The 32-year-old leftie has been one of the standout batsmen in this particular series. He has given India the perfect start in every match and has made up for his partner's failure at the other end.

With one century and two half-centuries to his name, he is the second highest run-getter in the series so far.

Middle-order:

Virat Kohli:

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The Indian captain has been in sensational form in the ODI series so far. With two centuries and one half-century to his name, he has not given the South African bowlers a chance as he has decimated them to all parts of the ground.

He is the leading run-scorer in the series so far and will look to end the series on a high and lead India to another victory.

Ajinkya Rahane:

After a brilliant performance in the first ODI, Rahane has not made much of an impact in the remainder of the series so far.

He was unlucky to have been dismissed run-out in the previous ODI. With a lot of batsmen in contention for the no. 4 slot, Rahane will look to get a big score in the final ODI and cement his place in the side.

Manish Pandey:

While both Kedar Jadhav and Shreyas Iyer have failed to perform in the ODIs so far, Manish Pandey might finally get his chance to prove himself.

The Karnataka lad has not been in great form himself and will look to prove himself to the selectors.

MS Dhoni:

The former Indian captain has been in poor form in the series so far. He has failed to make an impact with the bat despite spending a significant amount of time at the crease.

While his wicket-keeping skills have been top notch as usual, its his batting which as been a cause for concern.

He will look to get back to form in the final ODI and silence his critics.

Axar Patel:

With India having already sealed the series, they will look to give those players a chance who have not yet played a single match.

Hardik Pandya has had an extremely poor series with the bat so far and has not made much of an impact.

If given an opportunity, Axar Patel will look to make the most of his chance and give the selectors something to think about.

Spinners:

Kuldeep Yadav:

The left-arm chinaman bowler has been in outstanding form in the series so far. With 16 wickets in 5 games, he is set to finish the series as the leading wicket-taker. He is also one of the contenders to pick up the man of the series award.

By picking up wickets at regular intervals, Kuldeep has not given the South African much of a chance in the games which India won.

Yuzvendra Chahal:

Along with Kuldeep, Yuzvendra Chahal, too, has been in sensational form. He has troubled the South African batsmen right from the first ODI and has bamboozled them with his leg spin.

The Kuldeep-Chahal duo have picked up a total of 30 wickets in the series so far. With their performances in the series, they have surely cemented their place on the side for a long, long time.

Fast bowlers:

Jasprit Bumrah:

The 24-year-old pacer has performed decently in the ODI series so far but will look to better his performance in the final game.

He has picked up six wickets in the five matches he has played. What he has done well is that he has always given India the perfect start with a quick wicket or two.

While Kuldeep and Chahal have been wreaking havoc, Bumrah, too, will look to do the same in the last game of the series.

Mohammad Shami:

With India having already sealed the series, the 27-year-old might get a chance to make a mark for himself in the final match of the series.

Due to the constant injuries, he has played only three ODIs for India since the 2015 World Cup.

He will look to give the selectors something to think about if he is given a chance in the final game.