Preview, 4th ODI: India look to seal the series against South Africa

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Johannesburg: India are set for a landmark series triumph as an injury-ravaged South Africa will hope for some A B de Villiers magic to halt the visitors in the fourth ODI, here on Saturday (February 9).

With an unassailable 3-0 lead in hand, India need just one more win to claim their maiden ODI series triumph on the South African soil.

The closest they came was in 2010-11, when under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, they shot into a 2-1 lead only to lose the five- match series 3-2.

A fourth consecutive win will also cement their spot as the no 1 side in ICC ODI rankings as well.

Virat Kohli had lifted his side to another dominant win with an immaculate 34th ODI century and later spoke of replicating the same intensity to wrap up the series with two matches remaining.

The fact that Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have now accounted for 21 out of 30 available wickets is also a driving force behind this confidence.

Despite practicing with at least five different local wrist spinners at Newlands, the Proteas' batting line-up still couldn't contend with India's first-choice spin duo.

Whether this will change on Saturday remains to be seen. South Africa may have slight cause for optimism as De Villiers has been added to their ODI squad for the last three matches.

The star batsman was ruled out of the first three ODIs owing to a finger injury he had sustained during the third Test. However, a final call is awaited.

This match is of vital importance for South Africa in their home season. It is the 'Pink ODI', played for the awareness against breast cancer and for the benefit of those suffering from the disease.

It was first held in 2011, and this will be the sixth such occasion. In fact, the Proteas have never lost when playing in their unique pink jersey.

De Villiers has a handsome record on Pink Days. In 2015, he had smashed 149 off just 44 balls against the West Indies. In 2013, when India were first part of this Pink Day celebration, de Villiers had scored 77 off 47 balls.

India will be wary of Rohit Sharma's form as in 11 ODIs now in South Africa, the three-time double centurion averages a paltry 12.10. His form is the only pressing concern for the Indian team, yet not so much that he will be left out of the playing eleven.

With the Men in Blue looking to wrap up the series, Kohli is expected to field an unchanged line-up once again.

Teams (from): India: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.

South Africa: Aiden Markram (capt), Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Lungisani Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Khayelihle Zondo, Farhaan Behardien, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), AB de Villiers.

Match starts at: 4:30pm IST

Live on: Sony TEN 1 & HD