South Africa conclude their tour of India over the next week when they head to Ranchi to take on their hosts in the third and final Test match of what has been a decent series, albeit a fairly one-sided one.
India have already won the series courtesy of their victory in Pune a week or so ago so in terms of the battle between the two teams this is a dead rubber but there are points in the World Test Championship still up for grabs.
India
It has been a very comfortable series win for India in all honesty. Both their victories have been borne out of winning the toss and making excellent use to wonderful batting conditions, before exercising their patience with the ball to get the required 20 wickets needed to come out on top. That has given them a huge lead in the early standings in the World Test Championship, an advantage they will be looking to build here.
I wouldn’t think India will be concerned about too much but it will be interesting to see how they fare should they lose the toss and have to reply to a daunting score. The other thing of note to look out for is how their batting will go should their top order not deliver. Those down the order haven’t seen too much time at the crease and that could yet be significant in terms of an outcome in this match.
South Africa
Given that they have lost the toss in both matches to date, South Africa have put in a couple of creditable performances, but ultimately it is the result which is of most interest and they haven’t been able to get it in either match thus far. They have had periods where they have looked in control of their game in both matches but they have not been able to transform it into getting the upper hand to force India to perform under pressure.
They face an uphill task here it has to be said. I know the World Test Championship offers up a bigger picture scenario but it still remains tough to motivate a side who are away from home and have been for so long, when the immediate focus has already disappeared. It is a big winter for South Africa though and some members of the side are playing for their place which could act as some sort of edge.
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Team News
There is no reason for India to make any changes in terms of the fact that all of their side are playing good cricket and contributing but they are another side with a lot of cricket ahead of them so a rotation to their bowlers shouldn’t be ruled out.
South Africa will be forced into making a couple of changes as Keshar Maharaj and Aiden Markram have been ruled out with injuries. That means Dane Piedt is likely to come back in while there could be a debut for Zubayr Hamza.
JSCA International Stadium Complex
There has been one previous Test match at this Ranchi venue, which was a high scoring encounter between India and Australia which ended in a draw. Both sides piled up more than 400 in their first innings and Australia then batted well enough to ensure they did not lose the game in their second knock in what was a competitive match on the final day or so.
Spin was the dominant force over the course of the five days there and that is expected to be the case here, with the weather in the lead up to the match having been very good and the forecast by no means bad for the five days the contest is scheduled for. It has a typical Indian home match feel to it.
Betting
Given the dominance that they have shown so far I think it is the right thing to do to focus on bets involving Indian players for this match. I’m not getting involved in the match result because I expect India to win but understandably they are no price and I’m all too aware of how things can go a little cockeyed were they to lose the toss, so it is the side markets for me.
The one I like is the first innings runs for Mayank Agarwal, who is in some form with the bat right now. He has 50s in his last three Test first innings with scores of 215 and 108 first up in this particular series. South Africa are going to be weaker with the ball in this match in terms of not having Maharaj to turn to so I see no reason why the opener won’t continue his impressive form and breeze past this modest 35.5 run line.
Tips
Back M.Agarwal – Over 35.5 first innings runs for a 4/10 stake at 1.85 with 888sport
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