South Africa vs India Prediction: Both games are won by team batting second

South Africa and India are going head to head in the 3rd Match of One Day Series at Eurolux Boland Park, South Africa on 21 Dec 2023. Both the teams in the series have been one-sided. The teams batting second won in both games. Who will win this game of cricket?

South Africa exhibited a commendable performance in the second ODI, excelling in both bowling and batting. They won the toss, showcased admirable bowling skills led by Nandre Burger and Beuran Hendricks, and comfortably achieved a small target. Tony de Zorzi's remarkable batting display, scoring an unbeaten 119, stood out, along with noteworthy contributions from Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen. The strong batting lineup reflects the immense strength possessed by South Africa. Additionally, the inclusion of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, and David Miller adds significant firepower in the latter stages of the game. While Tabraiz Shamsi did not participate in the previous match, he might make a comeback for the upcoming game in Paarl. Although it poses a challenging decision, it appears that Beuran Hendricks could be excluded if this situation arises. In comparison to India, South Africa's batting holds an advantage with superior power and their bowling showcased impressive performance in the second match. Halting their momentum in the third ODI will indeed be a difficult task.

Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Beuran Hendricks, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Tabraiz Shamsi

India elected to bat first in the second ODI, but their batting performance deteriorated towards the end, resulting in a total of only 211 runs. This score was clearly insufficient as they eventually lost the match by a margin of 9 wickets. This defeat highlights the fragility of India's current lineup. In the second game, India's batsmen did not perform up to expectations. While Sai Sudharsan and KL Rahul had a decent partnership, neither of them managed to convert their good starts into a substantial score. Ruturaj Gaikwad continued to struggle against the new ball, and Tilak Varma also seems to be struggling in the ODI format. Although India's batting lineup has immense potential, the lack of depth is proving to be a hindrance in their early stages of development. Among the bowlers, Arshdeep Singh has been consistently impressive, but the rest of the bowling unit did not have a great impact in the previous match. Both Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav had an off-day, revealing the limitations of India's bowling attack. While the result of the second ODI may indicate a significant gap between India and South Africa, we believe that India is currently a weaker team compared to South Africa.

KL Rahul (c & wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar

The team that wins the coin toss will likely choose to field first, which has been a successful strategy in the previous matches and is likely to continue. The weather in Paarl on match day is expected to be sunny with no rain, so there should be no interruptions. Historically, Paarl has provided a good batting surface with some assistance for spinners as the game progresses. In the previous two matches, the new ball has been advantageous for the bowlers, resulting in lower scores. However, we anticipate a change in this trend and anticipate a high-scoring match in the 3rd ODI, with the team batting first expected to score around 300 runs. 

Based on our analysis, we believe South Africa will win this match. Despite being considered underdogs by most bookmakers, we find this assessment illogical. South Africa's batting lineup is stronger than India's, and their current bowling performance appears to be superior. Therefore, our bet is on South Africa for the victory.