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South Africa look to seal series whitewash as action shifts to Cape Town

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South Africa vs India, third ODI
Newlands, Cape Town
January 23, 10:30 am local

Since 2016, South Africa have completed seven ODI series whitewashes at home, blanking five different opponents – Australia (2016 & 2020), Ireland (2016 – one-match series), Sri Lanka (2017 and 2019), Zimbabwe (2018) and Bangladesh (2017). India are in line to be the sixth team if everything goes to plan for the hosts on Sunday in Cape Town.

So far, South Africa have been polished in their template in the first two ODIs, winning the first one by setting a score and then completing the highest-ever successful ODI run chase in Paarl in the second.

Each of the top five batters have made significant contributions in at least one of the two matches while the spinners have done their job with the ball, bringing South Africa back into the contest in both matches.

India, on the other hand, were unchanged in the first two matches and could look at potential changes to their XI. The batting lost its way in the middle overs in both matches despite promising starts. The bowling, on the other hand, hasn’t really troubled South Africa much.

In Paarl on Friday, South Africa recorded the highest successful run chase in the venue spurred by a solid start from the openers. India’s bowlers have struggled to make inroads in the Powerplay in the last couple of years, and it is something the team will want to rectify in Cape Town, on what is expected to be a spicier pitch compared to the sluggish surface in Paarl.

India won an ODI series 5-1 in South Africa in 2018, but on this tour, they have struggled to be as dominating with the hosts stepping up with bat and ball in both matches.

Rishabh Pant (India wicketkeeper): “We are playing ODIs after long time and lots of factors we can talk about but as a team, we are always looking to improve and hopefully, we will be able to rectify them in coming matches."

Janneman Malan (South Africa opener): “We were happy to have two hundreds in the previous game, and maybe we could have had me or Quinny getting to a hundred here, but I’m very proud of the partnerships we had.”