The fate of the Twenty20 International series between India and South Africa lies with the fifth and final encounter at M Chinnaswamy Stadium this coming Sunday.
Honor is even at 2-2, after India scored all wins in the previous two outings. Fears that Bengaluru would have to host a deadly rubber match were wiped out by a strong comeback of the home team.
However, persistent showers can derail the sport. The city is likely to see heavy downpour Sunday night, which will test the SubAir drainage system at the stadium. Spectators can breathe easy knowing that a vacuum-powered suction system can get the ground ready 15 minutes after the rain stops.
READ | IND v SA: Avesh Khan praises Rahul Dravid for supporting players
Evergreen Dinesh Karthik will be hoping for an uninterrupted night out. Karthik, the only active international cricketer on India’s first ever T20I team (against South Africa in Johannesburg in December 2006), has returned to the years with a 27-football. 55 ball in the previous match at Rajkot on Friday. The decisive header earned him the ‘Player of the Match’ award, an honor he won almost 16 years ago in Johannesburg.
Fast bowler Avesh Khan will also join the match on the high court, after picking up four racquets in Rajkot. Avesh, who played unsuccessfully in the first three games, has paid off the faith shown by the team’s management.
“There are no changes to the number eleven in the four games here. I would like to credit (Head Coach) Rahul (Dravid) sir. He offers a good opportunity for everyone, because you can’t drop or include a
Or say he’s a good player based on his performance in a game or two. He gave all the players enough games so you have a good chance to prove yourself,” Avesh said in a post-match media interaction.
READ | Karthik, the star of Avesh when India crushed South Africa 82 times to level the score 2-2
The 25-year-old speed racer is ready for another challenge in Bengaluru. “In the last two games, our bowling attack has carried out all of our plans. We were able to get sockets consistently – both in PowerPlay and in between. We’ll try to do the same thing and perform as a group on Sunday. You have no control over the pitch and conditions. Bengaluru will be different from Rajkot. The better you adapt to different conditions, the better your performance will be,” adds Avesh.
South Africa had to quickly address their recent woes, which resulted in low scores of 131 and 87. Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen, the architects of the away team’s win in the Champions League. the opening two matches, were silent. Captain Temba Bavuma, who retired injured on Friday, was a questionable starter.
