Team India managed to level their three-match T20I series against South Africa in the final fixture, ending it at 1-1 on Thursday. Now in the upcoming ODI scheduled to begin on Sunday, they will look to start on a winning note.
India thrashed South Africa by 243 runs in the last ODI match they met, which was at the 2023 World Cup. But many players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been rested, with a new-look India side participating in this ODI series and KL Rahul is the captain.
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Speaking ahead of the match, South Africa captain Aiden Markram praised India's squad depth. "[India] can almost field three sides and compete with the best in the world. We have something similar in terms of new faces. It's an opportunity to look at players and pave the way forward in 50-over cricket," he said.
Between both playing XIs, South Africa have six players from their World Cup squad, compared to three of India's. Despite that, India will be fielding a strong playing XI. Other than Rohit and Kohli, Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Shami and Quinton de Kock will also be missing.
{{/usCountry}}Between both playing XIs, South Africa have six players from their World Cup squad, compared to three of India's. Despite that, India will be fielding a strong playing XI. Other than Rohit and Kohli, Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Shami and Quinton de Kock will also be missing.
{{/usCountry}}The weather forecast for Sunday predicts thunderstorms in the morning in Johannesburg, between 6 AM and 8 AM local time, with 51 percent chance of precipitation. But as the day progresses, it is expected to get better and as the day progresses, there will be no rain and the temperature will rise to 27 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav, who featured in that match and took a two-wicket haul for India, will be key in Johannesburg. Speaking ahead of the match, he said, "The pitches are very good for spinners. The good thing about them is that the ball comes onto the batter very quickly, so if you get it right it's very difficult to pick the delivery from the pitch."