After some disappointing performances in Paarl, the action will now shift to Cape town for the final fixture of India’s tour of South Africa. Given that the series has already been decided, both teams are expected to make changes to their squads. For us, it could mean seeing the likes of Surya and Ishan back in action which makes it an exciting prospect. Ahead of the last ODI, here are some key things India need to address if they are to avoid a whitewash:

Our spinners’ efficacy:

The Protean spinners have outplayed ours. They’ve been aggressive. The attacking mindset has enabled them to take wickets in the middle overs which is something we have lacked. Our spinners have been too defensive using spread out fields looking to contain boundaries and, in the process, conceding easy singles allowing the batters to settle. The last time we were here, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav were rampant against the hosts and effectively won us the series. It needs to be rectified at the earliest if we are to be a successful ODI side in the near future.

Pacers need to step up:

Jasprit Bumrah aside, our pacers have lacked venom when bowling to the hosts. Bhuvneshwar Kumar looked completely out of form in the second game while Shardul Thakur has been inconsistent with the ball. Maybe the management can take the opportunity to look at the likes of Deepak Chahar to freshen things up.

More energy in the field:

One of the hallmarks of our team used to be our fielding until recently. In this series it has been lackluster at best. In phases of play wherein the game isn’t going our away, one direct hit run-out can change it up completely. Even efforts saving runs close in or near the boundary can energize the bowler. None of those have happened. We’ve been sloppy conceding unnecessary runs through misfields and overthrows.

It will be intriguing to see how many changes the teams decide to make and how the men coming in perform. India have to better their performances in all the departments at all costs to end the Protean tour on an encouraging note.