Pre-match Story!!!
Though the six-match ODI series has already been decided in India’s favour but now the visitors will be eager to further strengthen their lead against South Africa after making a history with a 73-run victory at Port Elizabeth on February 13.
Rohit Sharma’s 115 runs and then the impact of two wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal helped India register their first ever series win in South Africa, becoming the second team after Australia which defeated South Africa on their Soil in a ODI series featuring five or more matches.
After securing a 4-1 lead in the series, India may now look for some replacements for final ODI on Friday at SuperSport Park in Centurion, the same venue where India have already thrashed South Africa in the second ODI on February 4.
But unlike the second ODI which was a day game, the sixth ODI at Centurion is being played under floodlights. The last five day-night ODIs at Centurion were high scoring games as average first innings score here remained 332. Out of 21 day-night ODIs played at Centurion, 12 were won by the team batting first while nine went in favour of the team batting second.
If the Test series is included as well, South African batsmen have seemed struggling throughout the Indian tour as only one Century has so far been scored from them while India have produced five Centuries.
The South African Opener Hashim Amla – though he failed to convert his innings into a big one at Centurion on February 4 and has scored just 144 runs with one Fifty in last five ODIs against India – has scored 869 runs with five Centuries in his 13 innings at the same venue.
So far India have won five ODIs in an overseas bilateral series just twice in their entire history – first in Zimbabwe in 2013 and then in Sri Lanka in 2017. Now India have an excellent chance to make it three.
