India are the top ranked ODI team in the world and South Africa sit sixth.
The Proteas will likely be forced into changes after Tony de Zorzi and Nandre Burger both pulled up with hamstring injuries on Wednesday.
Matthew Breetzke continued his excellent run in ODIs as he passed fifty for the seventh time in 11 innings. He now averages 68.20 in the format.
Allrounder Corbin Bosch has only taken two wickets in the series so far but he is averaging 96 with the bat which gives South Africa real depth next to Marco Jansen in the lower order.
Venue: Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium Visakhapatnam
South Africa have never played an ODI at this ground.
India’s record here is strong with seven wins two defeats and a tie.
Of the ten ODIs played at the venue the team winning the toss has won eight.
Teams usually choose to field first and that has happened seven times.
The chasing side has won six of the ten games.
This ground is the IPL home of Sunrisers Hyderabad and is known for batting friendly surfaces.
The average first innings score is 233 and the highest total is India’s 387 for five against the West Indies in 2019.
Weather
Visakhapatnam should offer warm pleasant December weather on Saturday. Expect sunny skies with temperatures between 19 and 27 degrees and a light easterly or northeast breeze. There is a small chance of light rain at around ten percent though most forecasts show no real threat.
Form (most recent first)
India: L W W L L
South Africa: W L L W L
Key players
India: Virat Kohli
Kohli has hit centuries in both opening games of the series and a third would surprise no one. He averages 58.20 in ODIs and his last ten innings have come at 66.13. Ranked fourth in the world he may be deep into his career but his hunger remains obvious in the way he runs between the wickets.
South Africa: Dewald Brevis
Brevis is one of the cleanest ball strikers to emerge for the Proteas in years. He scored his first ODI fifty on Wednesday and while he is still finding his feet he needs to turn starts into big scores more often. He has played only eight ODIs but when he gets going he can swing a game in just a few overs.
Verdict: South Africa
The toss will matter since bowling second can be tough when the dew sets in. Even so South Africa will take huge confidence from their record chase in Raipur. They hunted down the target with calm control and contributions came from all parts of the order. It should be tight on Saturday but the momentum sits with the visitors.