Three player battles that can define final South Africa vs India T20I

South Africa displayed terrific cricket to beat India on Tuesday in Gqeberha to win the 2^nd T20I. The rain-affected game saw the South African batters chase down the 152-run target in the 14^th over of the innings.

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As we head into the final game in Johannesburg there is a lot to play for both the teams. For the Indian team, there is a need to win the game to keep their bilateral series record alive. Suryakumar Yadav and his team had won the previous series against Australia at by a 4-1 margin.

On Tuesday the Indian bowlers were outsmarted and outwitted by the aggressive South African batting. Mohammad Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, and Mukesh Kumar were made to look pedestrian with the ball. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja too were taken to the cleaners by the South Africans.

#1. Lizaad Williams vs Shubman Gill – 

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Shubman Gill was out for a second-ball duck on Tuesday when he was caught plumb in front of the wicket. 30-year-old Lizaad Williams can swing the ball at a good pace. In his short international career, Shubman Gill has been troubled by the ball which comes into him and catches him out LBW. Johannesburg will come up with a new challenge for Gill who will have to battle both pace and bounce against the quality seam attack. 

#2. Kuldeep Yadav vs Heinrich Klaasen – 

The Indian left-arm wrist spinner turns 29 on Thursday and will hope to make it special by guiding his team to a win. Up against Kuldeep Yadav is South African powerhouse Heinrich Klaasen. The 32-year-old is an excellent player of spin as he exhibited during the ODI World Cup 2023. It will take Kuldeep Yadav his usual bag of tricks to stop the free-scoring South African from making a mockery out of the Indian attack.

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#3. Mohammed Siraj vs Reeza Hendricks – 

South African opener Reeza Hendricks was the reason why the home team got a great start to the innings. The 34-year-old took a special liking to Arshdeep Singh and smashed the youngster in his first two overs. Mohammed Siraj had Reeza Hendricks in trouble with his pace and swing. The 29-year-old will hope to get the right-handed batter early to gain India an early advantage in the game.