Centurion, Feb 15: Following a historic series victory on South African soil, India will aim to continue their dominance to finish with a 5-1 record against the Proteas in the sixth One-Day International (ODI) at the SuperSport Park here on Friday.
The visitors who have already pocketed the series 4-1 will be in a search to finish off the series on a positive note. India, courtesy of their triumphant run, also clinched the top spot in ODI rankings for the third time in six months.
A depleted South Africa, who were forced to re-work on their team throughout the series, will however aim to salvage some pride from the final encounter.
The formidable Indian side will look to continue playing in a ruthless manner led by their flamboyant skipper Virat Kohli — who has been in solid touch throughout the series.
Openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma along side Hardik Pandya and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the middle-order will only add depth to the hosts batting line-up.
Meanwhile, batsman Ajinkya Rahane who has failed to get big scores in the series will look to get amongst the runs. Kohli might also fancy playing his bench-strength in the dead rubber consisting of handy batsmen Dinesh Karthik, Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav.
The bowling department for the visitors will continue to be spearheaded by pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.
However, the wrist spinning duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal who have been nearly unplayable for the South African side throughout the series will again look to be the key wicket takers for India.
South Africa will look to come out in all-out attack fashion with nothing to lose. Batsmen Hashim Amla, Jean-Paul Duminy, AB de Villiers and David Miller will be the key in the batting department.
While the bowling will largely depend on pacers Kagiso Rabada and Lungisani Ngidi who will be vital to pick up crucial scalps at regular intervals to keep India on the back foot.
Squad:
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Hashim Amla, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Jean-Paul Duminy, AB de Villiers, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Lungisani Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Khayelihle Zondo, Farhaan Behardien. (IANS)
