Visakhapatnam, Dec 6 (NationPress) After a long series of 20 tosses without success, India has finally triumphed, winning the toss and opting to bowl first against South Africa in the third ODI at the ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium.

There is one change in the Indian lineup with Washington Sundar being replaced by Tilak Varma. On the other hand, South Africa has made two adjustments, bringing in Ryan Rickelton and Ottniel Baartman after injuries sidelined Nandre Burger and Tony de Zorzi.

The Cricket South Africa released a statement on Saturday explaining that, "Burger felt discomfort in his right hamstring while bowling in the second ODI on Wednesday, while de Zorzi experienced pain in the same area while batting and could not continue during the run chase. Both players underwent scans on Friday which confirmed their injuries' severity."

Indian captain KL Rahul commented, "I believe we should have more tosses. Our intention is to bowl first. After training here last night, we observed some dew, but it wasn't as significant as at Ranchi or Raipur. I don’t foresee it affecting the game as much as before. Our goal is to chase a total and see how we can perform with the ball first. The wicket appears to be in good shape. From my perspective and the leadership group, we were satisfied with our last performance. Although from an outsider's viewpoint, chasing down 360 seems problematic, we must consider the conditions and focus on the positives, maintaining consistency and sharpness in the field."

South African captain Temba Bavuma stated, "We would have preferred to bowl first as well. The pitch doesn’t seem the easiest, so our strategy is straightforward - we need to start strong, evaluate the conditions early, and set up our middle order. If we can post a competitive score, we are confident in our ability to defend it."

He added, "This series has been extremely entertaining, showcasing the intensity of red-ball cricket alongside the excitement of the white-ball format. The crowd support has been phenomenal in every match, and we aim to deliver a performance that honors that support. We hope today’s game is another thrilling encounter."

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

India’s lineup comprises: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.