India made a great comeback in the third and fourth matches of the IND vs SA 2022 Twenty20 International series, leveling the 5-match series 2-2. The series winner will therefore be decided by the fifth game, which will take place in Bangalore. The Indian team presently has the momentum to win the series after two consecutive victories. However, South Africa have the strength and enough reasons to steal the series from the home team. The fifth T20I match preview is discussed in this article.
India vs South Africa T20I Series 2022: Fifth Match Preview
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore will host the fifth game in the ongoing IND vs SA 2022 T20I series on June 19, (Sunday). The game will begin at 7.30 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time). This venue has hosted fourteen games thus far. India's performance at this stadium hasn't been impressive; they have won two of five games here. On the other side, South Africa prevailed in their match against India in September 2019. Let's look at the present scenarios for both squads.
India
The Indian campaign was shocked after losing the first two matches of the series. Their bowlers weren’t effective, especially the spinners. The spin department is India’s biggest strength, especially at home against SENA countries. However, they have been a huge disappointment so far in this series against South Africa. It’s the fast bowlers who have done most of the hard work in bowling to help the hosts stay alive in the series. They will once again be important for them in the do-or-die contest on Sunday.
Read Tamim becomes fastest Bangladeshi to score 5000 runs in Test
India's batting has suffered in their absence of Rohit and Virat. Young prospect Ishan Kishan has done well as an opener, giving the team a good start. They need someone in the middle to step up and do the job when quick runs are required. Veteran Dinesh Karthik, who had a good season in the IPL 2022, did the job for India in the fourth match. Karthik will once again be key for the hosts. India’s playing XI will likely remain unchanged for the fifth match.
Predicted Playing XI
Top Order: Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer;
Middle Order: Rishabh Pant (captain & wk), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar;
Lower Order: Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal.
South Africa
South Africa’s middle order is very strong and they have proved that in this series against India. With Van der Dussen, Klaasen and Miller, the Proteas national side has the players to devastate the opposition bowling attack. The visiting side’s main area of concern is their front-line bowlers. None of them have had particularly great outings so far in the series. This could halt their quest to win the fifth match in order to seal the series. The South African team will be counting on their best bowlers to perform for the team.
Read BAN vs WI 1st Test 2022: Can Tigers avoid Innings defeat?
The aggressive-minded wicket-keeper batter, Quinton de Kock, missed two matches in the series due to an injury but made a return in the fourth match. He will be available for the series-decider, but De Kock hasn’t scored a fifty-plus score in his previous six matches, which is a concern for him. If De Kock finds his usual form in this match, he can give a perfect start for the Proteas side. One big concern for the visiting side is the injury of captain Temba Bavuma. Reeza Hendricks can take his place for this match if he is unavailable for selection.
Predicted Playing XI
Top Order: Temba Bavuma (captain), Quinton de Kock, Dwaine Pretorius;
Middle Order: Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada;
Lower Order: Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi.
Pitch and Weather Prediction
Chinnaswamy Stadium is a well-known sporting arena. If batters can trust the pitch, they can score big and amass a huge total. On the other hand, bowlers may thrive and pose a threat to batters. There is a 70% probability of rain in Bangalore on Sunday. As a result, the game may be interrupted due to bad weather.
Read ENG vs NED 1st ODI 2022: England break world record against Netherlands
Bottom Line
Multiple records have been broken in the ongoing Twenty20 series between India and South Africa. South Africa's most successful run chase and lowest-ever T20I score, as well as India's biggest win against South Africa, are notable ones. Will there be more records broken in the series-decider? However, the most important thing for both sides is to win the fifth match, since the winning team will win the IND vs SA 2022 T20I series 3-2.