IND vs SA: India opt to bowl first in 3rd T20I, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel miss out | Cricket News
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and elected to bowl first in the third T20I against South Africa on Sunday, with conditions and dew playing a key role in the decision at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala. India was forced into two changes. Jasprit Bumrah missed the match due to personal reasons, while Axar Patel was ruled out after falling ill. Harshit Rana was brought in to strengthen the pace attack, and Kuldeep Yadav returned to the XI to strengthen the spin department. With the five-match series locked at 1-1, India opted to continue under the lights, anticipating heavier dew later in the evening.
South Africa also made notable changes, bringing back Corbin Bosch, Tristan Stubbs and Anrich Nortje. David Miller, George Linde and Lutho Sipamla were left out as the visitors looked to build on the momentum gained from their convincing victory in the second T20I. Speaking at the toss, South Africa captain Aiden Markram highlighted the cold conditions, describing them as very different from those experienced by his team in Johannesburg. He said the surface looked good and could improve as the match progressed. Markram stressed the importance of consistency after his strong comeback in the previous match and said the team wanted to evaluate the first few overs before building a competitive total. Suryakumar Yadav said India were happy to bowl first, pointing to the quality of the pitch and the presence of early dew. He described Dharamshala as a wonderful venue and stressed the need for intensity throughout the three-hour game. The Indian captain said the team’s aim was to respond positively after the last match and play fearless cricket.South Africa (Playing XI): Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock (w), Aiden Markram (c), Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil BaartmanIndia (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (w), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy With both sides making changes and conditions adding another layer of intrigue, the third T20I promised a crucial contest against the backdrop of this hotly contested series.
