After a heartbreaking loss in Raipur, India find themselves locked at 1–1 with South Africa as the three-match ODI series heads into a high-stakes finale. 

The decider will take place at the ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, December 6, with the match scheduled to start at 1:30 PM IST.

India will look to recover quickly from the setback in the second ODI, where despite stellar centuries from Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad, along with an unbeaten 66 from captain KL Rahul, the hosts were outplayed. 

South Africa successfully chased down their highest ODI total on Indian soil—359 runs—sealing a four-wicket victory.

The venue adds its own layer of intrigue. Saturday’s clash will be the 11th ODI hosted by the ACA–VDCA Stadium. 

Players to watch out for

Rohit Sharma: World’s top ODI batter and India’s seasoned opener will be in the spotlight. After scores of 57 and 14 in the first two ODIs, Rohit Sharma is due for a big knock. 

The decider could be a landmark outing for the Hitman—just 27 runs away from 20,000 international runs and one century from surpassing Sachin Tendulkar for the most ODI tons by an Indian opener.

Virat Kohli: King Kohli has dominated the series with back-to-back centuries—135 in the first ODI and 102 in the second—showcasing his unmatched consistency. 

The superstar is now just 100 runs away from 28,000 international runs, leaving fans hopeful he could reach the milestone in the Vizag decider.

India vs South Africa head-to-head record in ODIs

India and South Africa have played 96 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against each other till date. India have registered 41 victories, while South Africa have secured 52 wins. As many as three ODIs have ended with no result.

India vs South Africa squads for 3rd ODI

India: KL Rahul (captain/wicket-keeper), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper)

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Tony de Zorzi, Rubin Hermann, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton (wicket-keeper), Prenelan Subrayen

Upcoming Milestones to keep an eye on 

  • Rishabh Pant is 129 runs away from scoring 1000 runs in ODI cricket.
  • Ravindra Jadeja is 138 runs away from scoring 3000 runs in ODI cricket.

Where to watch India vs South Africa 3rd ODI live 

The India vs South Africa 3rd ODI will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network’s TV channels.

Live streaming of the IND vs SA 3rd ODI will be available on the JioHotstar app and website.