Why Washington Sundar Misses Out in 3rd ODI?
India and South Africa gear up for the series decider in Visakhapatnam, where the Men in Blue finally broke their long streak of losing tosses. With the series levelled, both teams made key changes — and one major talking point was Why Washington Sundar Misses Out in 3rd ODI.
India Finally Win Toss After 20 Games
At the ACA-VDCA Stadium, stand-in ODI captain KL Rahul won the toss and elected to bowl first, keeping dew conditions in mind. Rahul highlighted that the team has taken several positives from the first two matches and was confident in chasing.
Series Recap
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1st ODI: India clinched a thrilling win by 17 runs in Ranchi.
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2nd ODI: South Africa responded with a record chase of 359 to level the series.
With one win each, the 3rd ODI turned into a winner-takes-all encounter.
Why Washington Sundar Was Dropped?
India made just one change — Tilak Varma came in for Washington Sundar.
Sundar’s performance in the first two ODIs didn’t yield results India expected:
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Scores: 13 & 1
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Bowled only 7 overs across two matches
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Limited impact with both bat and ball
The team management opted for a more aggressive middle-order option in Tilak Varma, strengthening the batting unit for a run chase.
South Africa Forced to Change Two Players
The Proteas made two injury-driven changes:
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Out: Tony de Zorzi, Nandre Burger (hamstring injuries)
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In: Ryan Rickelton, Ottneil Baartman
Captain Temba Bavuma admitted they too would have bowled first.
Captains’ Words at Toss
KL Rahul (India):
“We’ll bowl first. Dew played a role yesterday, the wicket looks good. Happy with how we’ve played so far, lots of positives. One change — Washington misses out, Tilak comes in.”
Temba Bavuma (South Africa):
“Would’ve bowled first too. Fans have been amazing, hoping for another exciting match. Two changes — Rickelton & Baartman replace Burger and de Zorzi.”
Also read: Why the Pink Ball is Used in Day-Night Test Cricket – Explained
IND vs SA 3rd ODI — Playing XIs
India
Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (c/wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
South Africa
Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman
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