After suffering back-to-back defeats in first two matches, India take on SA in must-win tie

After suffering back-to-back defeats in the first two matches of the five-match T20I series against South Africa, India can't afford to lose anymore if they want to win the home assignment against the Temba Bavuma-led side. The South Africans made a mockery of the Indian bowling attack in the opening two matches and easily chased down the targets to go 2-0 up.

For the Men in Blue, things have gone from bad to worse in the last few days. After losing skipper KL Rahul and star spinner Kuldeep Yadav ahead of the start of the series, India failed to put up a strong show in the familiar conditions to keep the visitors at bay.

The poor performance of the Indian spinners — Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel — has been a cause of concern. The duo have picked up a total of two wickets in two matches and have conceded 134 runs in 11.1 overs. They leaked runs in the middle orders that allowed Proteas batters to settle down at the crease and play big shots at will.

Chahal's performance is a big shocker for the Indian team as the leg-spinner was in top-form in the recently concluded 2022 season of the Indian Premier League and finished as the leading wicket-taker of the season.

In the batting, Ishan Kishan has done well up till now, but his opening partner, Ruturaj Gaikwad, is yet to make any significant contribution. He hasn't looked comfortable in either of the games. Shreyas Iyer, at three, has tackled Tabraiz Shamsi with ease but is yet to find a solution against the short ball.

The Indian team management will be hoping that the star middle-order trio of skipper Rishabh Pant, all-rounder Hardik Pandya, and veteran Dinesh Karthik will come good and go, all guns blazing, in the must-win match in Vizag.

In the second T20I, which was played at Cuttack's Barabati Stadium, in a surprise call, Axar Patel was promoted to bat ahead of Karthik, who made his comeback to the national set-up on the back of an outstanding IPL season. The team's decision has been heavily criticised by fans and former cricketers alike, and in the upcoming matches one can expect Karthik at six.

Pant's captaincy has also been under scanner after the first two matches. The 24-year-old has failed to make the most of the resources available and his decision to hold Axar till the 12th over on Sunday was a bizarre call. In the first match, he was slammed for not allowing Yuzvendra Chahal to complete the quota of four overs.

Going into the third game, it will be interesting to see if India make any changes to the playing eleven. Even though the chances are quite low, it won't be a surprise if one of Umran Malik or Arshdeep Singh makes his India debut on Tuesday.

The duo have received their maiden call-up on the back of a good performance in this year's IPL. While Umran has impressed with his pace and wicket-taking abilities, Punjab Kings' pacer Arshdeep has established himself as one of the best death bowlers in the country as far as T20 cricket is concerned.

As for South Africa, they are on the cusp of winning their first T20I series in India and would like to continue the good show in the remaining three matches as well.

After getting bashed by Indian batters in Delhi, their bowlers bounced back in Cuttack and restricted the hosts to 148 runs. However, they will hope that the spin duo of Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj come up with a better display.

Aiden Markram, who tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the first T20, is likely to miss out, and there is no update on Quinton de Kock's hand injury either. De Kock's replacement at Barabati Stadium — Heinrich Klaasen — starred in the second match with his 46-ball 81 and would like to continue the ace form squads

India: Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep, Umran Malik.

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen.