The third
Test between South Africa and India is set to start Tuesday at Newlands, Cape
Town. The match will decide the result of the series as both sides have won a Test
each. While India won the first Test in Centurion by 113 runs, South Africa
levelled the series in Johannesburg by thrashing India by seven wickets after
Dean Elgar played a resolute unbeaten 96 runs innings.

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Team India
is buoyant by captain Virat Kohli’s return to the XI. Kohli on the eve of the
match said he is fit to play. The Indian batter missed the second Test due to
an upper back spasm. Now a victory in Cape Town will ensure India’s historic
Test series win in South Africa.

However,
heading into the Cape Town Test, the prospect of poor weather looms heavy over
the upcoming match. There are predictions of rain playing spoilsport at the
Newlands. The humidity is likely to remain high. It would be around the 70%-mark. At Johannesburg as well, there were predictions of rain but the
match ended producing a stunning result as the Proteas registered a remarkable
win.

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Fans expect
a clear sky leading to the match. However, on the opening day of the match, January
11, play will continue under overcast situations. The temperature will range
from 18 degrees celsius to 22 degrees celsius and the wind speed will be around 31km
per hour.

Meanwhile,
there is certainly going to be some changes in the Indian middle-order with
Kohli’s arrival in the team. Hanuma Vihari, who played gritty 40 not out in
India’s second innings of the second Test, is likely to retain his place.
Recently former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir said Vihari deserves more
chances and backing similar to Ajinkya Rahane.

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In the
Johannesburg Test, both Cheteshwar Pujara and Rahane failed to justify their
selection as they failed for three and zero in the first innings. In the second
innings, the duo tried hard to convince the team management that they were valuable
for the team, scoring a fifty each while sharing a 111-run partnership. But as
Vihari is probable for the Cape Town Test, either Pujara or Rahane, who
recently lost vice-captaincy to Rohit Sharma, is likely to be dropped.