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South Africa vs India: Fourth ODI Preview

Batsman faces bowler in front of packed cordon

We preview the fourth ODI between South Africa and India which is set to take place at the Wanderers on Saturday 10 February. 

South Africa’s slim hopes of winning the six-match ODI series against India were dashed on Wednesday as Virat Kohli and co delivered another crushing defeat to Ottis Gibson’s men.

Will the return of AB de Villiers be enough to inspire the hosts to victory or will the Kohli and his wrist-spinners secure the series win for the tourists? Let’s take a look:

South Africa vs India | Saturday 10 February | The Wanderers, Johannesburg | 13:30

To Win Match
South Africa 31/20
Tie 35/1
India 52/100

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South Africa
Where to next for this beleaguered South African ODI outfit? I’m not really sure. They have absolutely no answer to the wrist-spin of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, both of whom have regularly run through the South African middle and lower order this series.

Much of the South African side’s hope will be pinned on whether or not de Villiers will turn out for the Proteas in pink on Saturday. While he has been included in the squad for the last three One Day Internationals, a decision on whether or not he’ll play at the Wanderers will only be taken on Friday.

In terms of squad selection, one feels that David Miller has to face the axe. He’s not the best player of spin and has been horribly exposed by Yadav thus far. Khaya Zondo hasn’t been terrible, but his inability to score at any real pace could see him sacrificed for Farhaan Behardien.

The one thing that the South Africans can take heart from on Saturday is that they’ve never lost in the pink kit. De Villiers’ return also coinciding with this match – who will ever forget that century against the West Indies in January of 2015.

 YESWENA

India
The Indians really are in cruise control at the moment, and who can blame them? They’ve hardly broken sweat on their way to a commanding 3-0 series lead. Kohli has been in sparkling form with the bat while the wrist-spin duo of Yadav and Chahal have been responsible for 21 of the 27 South African wickets to have fallen thus far.

While the spinners have been grabbing the headlines, you simply can’t ignore Kohli’s contribution with the bat. The Indian skipper has scored 318 runs in three games and looks to be from a different planet at the moment.

He was given a reprieve on Wednesday after having an on-field decision to give him out LBW was overturned following a referral, this after Snicko spiked as the ball travelled past the bat. Kohli would go on to score an unbeaten 160.

In terms of selection, only Rohit Sharma is in any immediate danger of losing his place on current form. I doubt he’ll be dropped though. It’s only a matter of time before he comes off, especially against a South African attack that just isn’t hitting its straps.

Verdict: India 52/100
You can’t go wrong backing India here. They’ve been completely and utterly dominant throughout this segment of the tour and are tipped to secure their fourth consecutive win at the Wanderers on Saturday. 

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Written by Jason Dewey for Hollywoodbets

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