India vs South Africa, 3rd ODI Preview | Final match of the series in Visakhapatnam

In the final game of the series, India will try to regain control after their defeat in Raipur, while South Africa enters the match with confidence after their four-wicket victory in a high-scoring thriller.

Both teams look fairly balanced. The hosts are focused on their top order and spin combination, while the visitors are focused on their batting depth and varied pace attack. The conditions at the venue and expected dew factor could play a big role, which makes the toss even more important. Overall, the match is likely to be high-scoring and teams winning the spin of the coin will have no hesitation in bowling first.

Form Guide

The series of recent matches highlights the instability of the Indian team, with two consecutive losses against Australia followed by a confident victory in Sydney. Then a good performance against South Africa in Ranchi succeeded by another loss on December 3, once again exposing the weaknesses in the death overs and a lack of control against the opponent's aggressive middle order.

South Africa's results have also been unstable, but the victory in Raipur was the first match in the series in which the batting lineup looked consistent throughout the chase. Aiden Markram and Dewald Brevis set the perfect pace, and Corbin Bosch finished the match impressively.

India: L L W W L

South Africa: L W L L W

India vs South Africa Head-to-Head

The results of head-to-head ODI matches favour South Africa. But if we look at the last 5-7 years, the difference becomes significantly smaller. India has strengthened its game at home, often dominant on spin-friendly pitches, while South Africa retains its advantage in speed and power-batting matches. In the 2025 series, both teams played brilliantly: two matches and two totals above 300. 

India 41-52 South Africa

Pitch and Weather

The last match at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam offers a smooth, almost perfect surface for batting. The surface traditionally plays true in the first 30-35 overs, allowing the top order to freely use pace and bounce before the beginning to slow down slightly and making it easier for spinners to work in the late stages of the first innings. However, the team batting second often gains an additional advantage due to evening dew, which reduces grip for spin bowlers.

On December 6, warm temperatures of around 28°C are expected, with light humidity and the possibility of evening haze, which is typical for the coastal region of Visakhapatnam.

Team News

After the match in Raipur, India might prefer to have some more batting depth and may bring in Nitish Kumar Reddy for Prasidh Krishna. Kohli and Gaikwad are in excellent form, Rahul consistently finishes innings, and Jadeja remains a key spin player.

Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh provide pressure in the early overs, but the death overs remain a risk area. It is important for India needs to avoid collapses similar to the end of their first innings on December 3.

South Africa comes into the game on the back of a win with Markram striking form with an excellent hundred, Brevis and Matthew Breetzke forming a contrastingly dangerous pair in the middle order, and Bosch providing a powerful finish. 

India (Probable XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (c & wk), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh

South Africa (Probable XI): Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Ottneil Baartman, Lungi Ngidi

Broadcasting Platforms

The match will be available on the JIO+ Hotstar digital platform and will also be broadcast on the Star Sports television network from 1:30 PM IST in India on Saturday. In South Africa, the game will be broadcast on SuperSport Cricket, with a parallel online broadcast on the SuperSport service.