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IND vs SA: Shreyas Iyer likely to feature in the 3rd T20I vs South Africa

image-l8tactsnIyer is likely to bat at 3 in Kohli's absence (PC- Twitter)

Team India clinched the second match of the ongoing T20I series against South Africa on Sunday by defeating the visitors by 16 runs. With India set to play its final T20I game before the T20 World Cup 2022 on Tuesday, the team management is thinking of rejigging the playing XI for the third T20I.

The Indian batters stepped up in the second T20I and posted a mammoth target at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, in Guwahati which proved to be a match-winning total. With the series already in the bag, team India are likely to make changes to their winning combination in the third and final T20I of the series.

Kohli, KL to be rested for the series finale

Meanwhile, fresh reports are claiming that team's vice-captain KL Rahul and Virat Kohli are likely to be rested from the last match of the series in Indore. According to reports, the think tank will be resting both Virat and KL from the match in order to maintain the workload management keeping the T20 World Cup in Australia in mind. Both KL and Kohli have been in brilliant form with the bat ever since India's disappointing exit from the Asia Cup 2022.

The top brasses feel both KL and Kohli need to be in the best of spirits when India opens their World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on October 23.

In absence of Kohli, Shreyas Iyer is likely to make the cut and will bat at number 3. Iyer will be heading to Australia with the team as one of the travelling reserves and India would want to make sure that the reserve players also get enough game time ahead of the ICC event.

Iyer is a worthy replacement for Kohli as he has been in a sensational run of form with the bat this year in T20Is. In 14 outings, the right-handed batter has scored 449 runs at 44.90 and a strike rate of 144.99 including four fifties.

Pant top contender to open in Rahul's absence

While in Rahul's place, India may open with Rishabh Pant. The wicket-keeper batter has got limited opportunities with the bat ever since the return of Dinesh Karthik.

Mohammed Siraj could also get into the scheme of things in place of Harshal Patel or Arshdeep Singh for the Indore T20I.

Captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid will have one last opportunity to test combinations before taking the flight to Australia. 

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