Dharamshala: The HPCA Stadium of Dharamshala, situated surrounded the eyeful of the Himalayas, will once then witness the thrill of cricket. The five-match T20 series between India and South Africa is tied at 1-1. After India's thumping win in Cuttack, the Proteas made a stunning comeback by 51 runs in Mullanpur. Now the third match is here on 14th December, where both the teams will be eyeing the lead. Unprepossessed winds, dew, and altitude—all this together will make the match increasingly interesting.
How is the Dharamshala pitch?
The pitch at Dharamshala is often considered batting friendly. Runs are hands scored here due to short boundaries, true vellicate and height. The pacers may get swing and vellicate in the initial overs, but as the pitch settles, the batsmen rule. Spinners may get some turn in the middle overs, but not much. 200 scores have wilt worldwide here in recent IPL matches. Dew factor is big – in the second innings the wittiness gets wet and loses grip, so winning the toss and choosing to trencher first can be beneficial. The chasing teams in the last T20 have had a largest record.
How unprepossessed is the weather, and is there any possibility of rain?
Cold in Dharamshala on December 14 could trouble both players and spectators. The maximum temperature can waif to 13-14 degrees, minimum to 9-10 degrees. By evening the nippy will increase, and dew may be heavy. The good news is that there is no endangerment of rain – there will be well-spoken sky, the match will be completed without any interruption. Due to cold, players will need uneaten warm-up and layers.
Who is superiority in head-to-head?
India is superiority in head-to-head, but South Africa defeated India at this venue in 2015. Good record of chasing teams at the stadium. India's batting weakened in the second match of the series, while the Proteas' bowling was excellent. Will Markram's team repeat the old victory?
What will be the possible playing XI of both the teams?
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubhman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar/Akshar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (captain), Tristan Stubbs/Reza Hendricks, Dewald Brewis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Marco Jensen, Anrich Nortje/Corbin Bosch, Otniel Baartman, Lungi Ngidi.
There is pressure on form on Shubman Gill and Surya, while all-rounders like Hardik and Miller can prove to be match winners. Will India protract the experiment?
