India Vs South Africa: Here's the Probable India XI for 3rd ODI in Cape Town

Cape Town, Feb 6: Team India have taken a 2-0 lead against South Africa in the ongoing ODI series and the Men In Blue must keen on extending it to 3-0 by winning the third game, to be played here on Wednesday (February 7).

Virat Kohli and his boys recorded a rather convincing win against a vulnerable Protea side that is rendered depleted in the absence of their seasoned campaigners i.e. AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis.

The hosts were clearly outplayed by the Indians in every department of the game in the second ODI in Centurion and lost the match by 9 wickets.

The spin pair of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav has emerged as a nemesis for the South African batsmen and they start struggling the moment these two are brought into the attack.

Together, these two have accounted for 13 wickets from two ODIs so far to prove how lethal they have been.

If the spinners weren't enough, even the pace duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah have been very effective with the new ball and kept things tight for the opposition.

To add to the woes of the Proteas, the Indian batsmen have been equally good in the first two ODIs. If Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan gave their team a decent start, the top-order comprising Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane has also been a tough nut to crack.

The Proteas are also battling injury concerns as three of their frontline batsmen are already injured and the team heavily relies on Hashim Alma at the top and an inexperienced middle-order. The Indians, on the other hand, have performed collectively as a unit in both the games while their South African counterparts seemed listless.

Indian skipper must be hoping his team to repeat a similarly dominating performance from his boys in the third match and take an unprecedented lead.

While he's yet to play with the same Playing XI in two consecutive Tests, the skipper made no changes in the side in the first two ODIs.

Going with the team's form one expects the third ODI isn't going to be any different and Kohli would come out with the same side that featured in Centurion on Sunday.

Here's the Probable India Playing XI in 3rd ODI:

1. Rohit Sharma

The right-handed batsman and team's vice-captain started things pretty well in the second ODI as well and gave India a decent start.

Rohit once again failed to capitalise upon the good start in and threw his wicket in the second ODI and departed for 15. He scored just 20 in the first match before getting dismissed after hitting a top-edge.

Like Durban, the Mumbaikar looked good in Centurion as he was hitting the ball well in his short stay at the crease. The team would be hoping Rohit doesn't throw his wicket away in the third ODI and scores big.

2. Shikhar Dhawan

One felt bad about the southpaw for the way he was dismissed in the first ODI but Dhawan came back strongly in the second ODI and scored an unbeaten half-century.

Dhawan looked in ominous touch in the second match as brought up his 24th ODI half-century. His innings was a perfect blend of caution and aggression as he scored runs at will and no Protea bowler seemed to trouble him all along his innings.

In the first ODI, the southpaw was batting brilliantly on 35 when a mix-up cost him his wicket in a run-out. Dhawan certainly missed out on a brilliant fifty but made most of the occasion in the second ODI as India won the match by a margin of 9 wickets with 177 balls to spare.

The left-handed opener would once again be opening the innings for India and the skipper must be hoping for another good start from him.

3. Virat Kohli

If he was dismissed for 112 in the opening ODI, the captain charismatic remained unbeaten on 46 in the second match and scored the winning runs for his side.

Kohli followed his innings brilliantly in the Centurion after scoring a classy century in the first ODI at SuperSports Park.

With these two back-to-back knocks, Kohli has again proved why he's one of the best batsmen in the limited overs format and he's just unbeatable when the team chases.

In the first ODI, Kohli notched up his career's 33rd ODI ton, and 20th while chasing, to rightly live up to the tag of 'Chase Master'.

The captain charismatic will once again be leading the side from the front in the ODI series. As he also happens to be the highest rungetter in the series so far.

4. Ajinkya Rahane

The Mumbaikar, who was the biggest positives for the visitors in the first ODI, didn't come out to bat in the second ODI as his services weren't required.

Before the start of the first ODI, there were questions whether Rahane would get a spot in the Playing XI. To everyone's delight, Rahane featured in the first ODI and that meant he was team's No. 4 batsman. The right-handed batsman once again capitalised upon the opportunity at hand and smashed his fifth consecutive ODI fifty.

His innings of 86-ball 79 and record 189-run-partnership with Kohli ensured India put up a comprehensive win in the first ODI. With that knock, Rahane cemented his position in the side for the remainder of the series and will definitely feature in the third ODI.

5. Kedar Jadhav

The diminutive middle-order batsman will be be back into the side in the third ODI as well. Jadhav is a capable batsman and also a part-time bowler who can bowl those five to seven overs in the middle overs.

The skipper will once again take his services just like in the first two ODIs. Jadhav, however, didn't get chance to bat in the first two ODIs as the top order had done the job for the visitors.

6. MS Dhoni (WK)

The veteran cricketer will once again do his job as the man who guides the skipper Kohli and the bowlers with his valuable inputs.

The stump mic coversations between Dhoni alongwith bowlers and skipper Kohli have already been a talk of the town.

He was caught by the stump mic giving vital piece of advice to the bowlers particularly the spinners, who proved to be India's biggest asset in the series so far.

Dhoni's presence and experience brings in the much-needed stability in the side and that has been a key reason for the team's good show.

7. Hardik Pandya

The all-rounder will be present in the middle-order in the second game as well and will be utilised as a floating batsman.

Although he has not been very effective with the ball in the first two games as he has conceded runs in both the games and couldn't pick up any wickets. But team management knows what he brings to the side and the Baroda all-rounder would once again feature in the playing XI in the third ODI.

Besides, Pandya must be hoping to improve his performance in the ongoing series.

8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The speedster has been in ominous form across all formats and he will definitely feature in India's ODI squad. Bhuvneshwar has been team's best new ball bowler and a brilliant death-overs' specialist.

If he was very costly in the first game, Bhuvneshwar came back strongly in the second game and was bowled miserly in the second ODI.

Bhuvneshwar picked up the wicket of Hashim Amla and gave the visitors a success in the first powerplay as the rest of the bowlers kept the pressure upon hosts all through their innings.

The UP cricketer, who turned 28 on Feb 5, has also proven his mettle with the bat and team might rely upon his batting skills, if needed.

9. Yuzvendra Chahal

The wrist spinner was at his lethal best in the second ODI as he produced his best figures in the ODIs with 5/22. Chahal was introduced by the skipper in the 11th over of the first match and immediately put the hosts in trouble.

He was very effective from the very first over and once again took the wicket of Quinton de Kock. After De Kock's wicket, Chahal opened the floodgates for the hosts and returned with his maiden fifer in ODIs.

10. Kuldeep Yadav

The young Chinaman was the second best bowler for India in the second ODI. Kuldeep was very lethal and economical at the same time and it was his wrist spin that kept Protea batsmen in trouble.

If he returned with 3/34 in the first ODI, Kuldeep bagged 3/20 in the second game to prove how effective he has been in the series so far.

He along with his spin-twin Chahal have emerged as a very tough spin attack which is proving out to be too hot for the hosts to handle. The captain would be hoping him to repeat a similar performance.

11. Jasprit Bumrah

The young speedster was one of the positives for India in the Test series as he constantly improved with every game.

The 24-year-old Gujarat pacer bagged his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests in only his third Test match and certainly.

Bumrah, who is Team India's biggest weapon in the limited overs, didn't disappoint his skipper again. He will be making it to the Playing XI in the third ODI and his form will be very crucial for team's success.