Plot:

The bilateral series between India and South Africa has been in news for multiple reasons. It all started with their ace batsman, AB de Villiers being ruled out of the first three ODIs, followed by their captain, Faf du Plessis and wicket-keeper, Quinton de Kock being ruled out of the entire series after the first and second ODI respectively. Also, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal made headlines with their top-notch performances. Apart from the win in the fourth ODI, there weren’t many positive moments for the Proteas as Team India dominated the first three ODIs with their spinners and Virat Kohli’s spectacular batting. The series breathed some life in the fourth ODI, when the hosts won the game on the ‘Pink Day’ in Johannesburg. The momentum of that victory couldn’t last any further as the visitors clinched the series by winning the fifth ODI at Port Elizabeth. The series win must be one of the most memorable and satisfying victories for Team India in recent years.

The final ODI will have a significance of mere numbers, as South Africa will look to salvage a positive finish to this series. The replacement wicket-keeper, Henrikh Klaasen has started his ODI career on a decent note, considering the form their team is going through. He will try to make the most of this ODI. India have the option to test their bench strength, which has some notable names. Dinesh Karthik, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel and Mohammed Shami are few of the players who haven’t played in the five games and some of them might be given a chance in the playing eleven. India will want to finish this series 5-1, as this win might be crucial to start the T20I series on a positive note, which begins just two days after the final ODI. The primary concern for Indian batting line-up is their middle order, who failed to finish the innings with a big score on multiple occasions. Currently, the top three batsmen, who amassed five centuries collectively in as many ODIs, will again have the responsibility to give India a good start.

Stage:

SuperSport Park, Centurion

The encounter will take place on the same ground which hosted the second ODI when the Indian spinners took 8 wickets together to wrap the South African innings on 118 runs. The series may be done and dusted, but the fans coming to the stadium will expect a closer contest than the one in the second ODI. Although, the earlier encounter was a low scoring one, the possibility of high-scoring contest this time can’t be ruled out, if the batsmen get a good batting surface.

Acts:

Spinners vs Henrikh Klaasen:

Klaasen has been the silver lining for South Africa in this series. The stand-in keeper has shown some glimpses of positive performances. He was taken by Chahal in his debut match and was stumped on Kuldeep’s delivery in the last ODI, while he remained unbeaten in the only match the Proteas won. He can deliver what is expected from a middle order batsman when the top-order collapses and he will have to prove this fact once again in the final ODI, if the situation arises. Possibly, this might be his last chance in the near future to prove his worth as Quinton de Kock could be fit to face Australia in the upcoming series.

Shreyas Iyer vs the performance pressure:

Shreyas Iyer was included in the playing eleven after Kedar Jadhav was ruled out because of his injury. Iyer has, so far, not impressed with either his batting or fielding abilities. He has been criticized for slowing down the innings and has dropped two catches in two consecutive ODIs. Surely, he must be under immense pressure to perform. The Indian team never writes off upcoming players so easily, so Iyer might get another chance in the final ODI. He will have to explain the reason for his inclusion with his bat and assure the captain that there is a reliable batting option in the middle order.

Yuvendra Chahal vs Kuldeep Yadav:

These two spinners certainly won’t be competing with each other, but it will be interesting for the fans to know who ends up being the highest wicket-taker of the series. Kuldeep Yadav has picked 16 wickets so far, while Chahal has 14 in his account. No matter who ends up taking the most wickets, together, they are the primary reason behind India’s series win. There hasn’t been any batsman who has succeeded in challenging their abilities and now it will be a matter of 20 overs between them to see how many more fail to read their magic deliveries again.