South Africa vs India – 3rd Test Match Prediction

Freedom Series - 3rd Test Match Prediction - South Africa vs India Freedom Series - 3rd Test Match Prediction - South Africa vs India
TournamentThe Freedom Series
Timetable11th - 15th January 2022 at 1400 IST
PredictionIndia to win
Odds2.05 (Bet ₹2500 and win ₹5125)
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Odds : 2.06
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Odds : 1.67
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Much like the first Test match on India's tour of South Africa, the second Test match went this way and that for the whole match before South Africa seized the upper hand and grabbed the win. Although the winning margin of seven wickets might suggest that it was a one-sided match, this was definitely not the case. The India team had the opportunity to create history by winning their first Test series in South Africa, but they failed to do so. Now, we have a decider on our hands, and who do we think will go on to win the series? Read this match prediction and all will be revealed.

South Africa Team Preview

If there is one thing to remember from South Africa's victory in the second Test, it would be Dean Elgar's dogged knock during their second innings. Right up until the final innings of the match, South Africa were still the underdogs, needing 240 runs to win the Test and level the Freedom Series. Not only did they manage to successfully chase the target down, but they did it without giving the India team much of a sniff, and this was thanks to Elgar's 96* from 188 balls.

Thanks to this win in the Second Test, the Proteas will enter the third Test with a lot of confidence. They showed a big improvement from the first Test and will definitely be a much more dangerous team to play against at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town. In the first Test, they tried to many different things at once, but in the second Test they went back to basics, and it paid off. Okay, they still made a number of mistakes and were under pressure all match, but they held their nerve and got the win that they deserved.

They played a fourth seamer in the second Test, and this was a decision that paid off big time as they did not allow the Indian batsman to run away with the match. The likes of Duanne Olivier and Marco Jansen were brilliant at drying up the runs, and they also picked up some vital wickets. Then, Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada were awesome in both innings. If you are going to do a bit of online cricket betting and want to put a bet on the best bowler for the Proteas, then we recommend you put your money on either Ngidi or Rabada.

The batsmen improved a lot with the bat in this second Test too. The likes of Keegan Petersen, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verryene and Elgar all made great contributions. Also, Aiden Markram put in a much better showing after three poor performances with the bat, and this will have done him the world of good. If you are going to bet on the best batsman for South Africa at cricket betting sites, we recommend you consider the likes of Elgar or van der Dussen.

We do not expect South Africa to make many changes for this decisive Test, but we might see Keshav Maharaj drop out, depending on the type of surface that is on offer. The Proteas are now a very balanced side, and if they can use the home conditions to their advantage, then they will be very tough to beat.

India Team Preview

It is not often that a team will be the favourites to win when playing in South Africa, but this India team definitely are. They won the first match of this Test match cricket series easily, and nobody expected them to lose the second one either. The fact that they did will act as a huge wake up call for them and will motivate them to come out all guns blazing in the third and final Test.

While India will be really happy to have Virat Kohli back in the side, there are more questions that need to be answered than there were after the first Test. The most important one is who will Kohli replace to get back into the playing XI? Both Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara probably saved their bacon for at least one more game thanks to the knocks they played in the second match.

Hanuma Vihari was the player that replaced Kohli in the second Test, but he played well in both innings. However, despite this, we still expect him to make way for Kohli. The only department so far in this series where the Indians have looked pretty flawless has been at the top of the order with KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal getting their team off to a decent start most the time. Apart from them, India's batting line-up had underperformed, and they will need to be at their best to win this decisive Test.

When it comes to their bowling, they do not have a lot to think about. Although Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Ravi Ashwin, and Jasprit Bumrah were only able to collect three wickets between them during the second innings, they bowled pretty well and tempted the South African batsmen into playing a number of false shots - they just did not have the luck that they needed to take the edge. Siraj is injured for this third Test, so they will need to replace him with either Ishant Sharma or Umesh Yadav. With think that the latter will be chosen to play.

With Kohli back in the team, there is a chance that India will be a completely different team. It is safe to say that India missed Kohli's captaining skills in the second Test more than they did his batting skills. In addition to this, he has a very good record against the South Africans, and will be eager to make his final appearance of the series a meaningful one. In fact, we would recommend that you put money on him being India's top scorer if you are thinking about making a cricket match prediction.

Overall, India have a couple of issues that they will want to address, but they should not be too worried just yet. They have a very good record of bouncing back after a defeat and they will be pretty confident that they can do the same this time around as well.

Toss Prediction

Batting is easier at Cape Town to start with, but the surface is one that tends to deteriorate quickly, meaning that the toss becomes move important. There will be a bit of assistance on offer for the fast bowlers on the first morning, but it will get easier to bat after the first session. Therefore, negotiating the first session of the match without losing too many wickets is key here. They can then put a big score on the board and board and hope that their opponents struggle as the pitch wears. So, with this in mind, we feel that the captain that wins the toss will decide to bat first.

Pitch and Conditions

Unlike with the previous two venues, the Newlands is a wicket that is known to offer assistance to spin bowlers as the match progresses. Thus, the likes of Maharaj and Ashwin might have a big role to play in this match, unlike in the first two Tests. Additionally, unlike with the first two Tests, the weather forecast looks good, so there should not be any rain delays. The average first innings score here over the last two years stands at 361, so the team that bats first will be looking to post a score in excess of 400.

Our Match Prediction

South Africa earned their first win against India at the Wanderers in the second Test, and they will be confident of getting another win in this decisive Test as they Newlands is a ground where they often tend to play well. However, they will be coming up against a team that will be looking to bounce back from defeat. With everything to play for, this is going to be a cracking match, that much is certain.

South Africa do have home advantage, but India are more of a balanced side, have history of being able to bounce back, and have more experience under their belts. Therefore, with this in mind, we are going to put our money on India to win a close match and get their first series win in South Africa.

Our match prediction:

India to win

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