IND vs SA 3rd ODI: KL Rahul wins toss; Team India opt to bowl first

KL Rahul (Pic: X/@BCCI)

In the third ODI match against South Africa, Team India skipper KL Rahul has won the toss and elected to bowl first at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.

Team India has made one change, in which Washington Sundar has made way for Tilak Varma. For Proteas, Tony de Zorzi and Nandre Burger have picked up injuries, which in turn have provided opportunities to Ryan Rickelton and Ottneil Baartman, respectively.

After winning the toss, the hosts' skipper Rahul said, "We're looking to bowl first; the dew doesn't seem to be a major factor here. We trained here last night, and the conditions appear to be good. We're happy with how we played in the last game; there were many positives to take away. We're making one change - Tilak Varma comes in for Washington Sundar".

On the other hand, South Africa's captain, Temba Bavuma, said that the side was planning to bowl first, but having put to bat, the opening batsmen would look to set things up for the middle order.

"We were planning to bowl first; assessing conditions early is key. The pitch doesn't look easy, so we'll start well and set things up for the middle order. We've made two changes: Ryan Rickelton and Ottniel Baartman come in. Injuries to Nandre Burger and Tony de Zorzi give others a chance to step up," he said.

Considering that the three-match ODI series between the "Men in Blue" and the Proteas stands at 1-1, the third clash will serve pure entertainment and intense moments. The fans will expect Team India stalwart Virat Kohli to yet again showcase his elegance and classical strokes, whereas Ruturaj Gaikwad, who smashed his maiden century in the format in the previous game, will be riding high on confidence.

IND vs SA 3rd ODI: Confirmed Playing XI

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.

South Africa: Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Corbin Bosch, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman.