Weather update from Johannesburg ahead of final South Africa vs India T20I on Thursday

India’s tour of South Africa is witnessing the final chapter of the short T20I series, moving to Johannesburg. Aiden Markram and his side lead the series 1-0 after the five-wicket win on Tuesday in Gqeberha.

The South African batters put the Indian bowlers to comfortably chase down the target of 152 runs. Suryakumar Yadav will hope for a better performance from his bowlers on Thursday during the final game.

All eyes will be on the weather after the tour has witnessed a wet and rain-affected start. Sunday’s game in Durban was abandoned due to constant rain. Even the second game in Gqeberha saw rain play a significant role.

Overcast conditions expected in Johannesburg –

Gauteng region experienced a chilly start to the day with the minimum temperature at 16 degrees. There is no rain expected for the rest of the day, but the overhead conditions are set to be cloudy.

Bowling first will be the best option if the captain wins the toss. Johannesburg's pitch will be a great place for the fast bowlers to show their skills. There will be pace and bounce off the track, with the New Wanderers stadium known to offer spongy bounce.

Arshdeep Singh will be a topic of conversation after his less-than-impressive showing with the ball on Tuesday. India will want to persist with the 24-year-old because of his natural ability to swing the ball into the right-handed batters.

South Africa will be missing Gerald Coetzee and Marco Jansen, who had already been rested for the final game. Nandre Burger and Ottniel Baartman are set to make their way into the playing XI.

Team India will want to address the opening combination for the final game. Both the openers were out for a duck during the game in Gqeberha on Tuesday afternoon. Ruturaj Gaikwad had missed the opening game due to illness as revealed by the Indian Cricket Board.

It will be interesting to see if the 26-year-old makes it back into the Indian XI. Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan too were rested with Jitesh Sharma and Tilak Varma playing. Rahul Dravid and Suryakumar Yadav could be tempted to bring the duo back for the final game on Thursday.