What The final – and deciding - Test of the three-match series between India and South Africa When

January 2-6, 2011. The game begins at 2 pm, IST. Where Newlands, Cape Town. Not the fastest wicket in South Africa and with a tendency to favour spinners in the later stages of a match. The teams With the return of Zaheer Khan in the Durban Test, India have proved that their bowlers have the ability to take 20 wickets in a match. It is the batting that is less encouraging. Right at the top, India’s opening stand, barring a partnership of 137 in the second innings of the Centurion Test, has produced scores of 1, 43 and 42. The contribution from India’s No. 6 batsman – Suresh Raina in the first Test and Cheteshwar Pujara in the second Test - too needs to shore up significantly if India are to post a respectable total of 350 plus in both innings. Like India, South Africa’s bowlers seem capable enough of doing the job. Even Lonwabo Tsotsobe showed a marked improvement in his performance at Durban (5/83) as compared with the Centurion Test (1/148). Like India, their batsmen too have failed to withstand the challenge of a quality bowling attack. The hosts played far too aggressively in Durban, when a more patient approach was required of them. And with the Newlands wicket likely to aid Harbhajan Singh even more, Graeme Smith and the rest of the South African top-order batsmen surely have their work cut out. The context The last time India played a Test match at Cape Town, in early January 2007, it was also the deciding Test of the three-match series between them and the hosts. However, unlike this time where India are heading into the Cape Town game after bouncing back from the Centurion thrashing, India went into the Cape Town Test of 2007 having surrendered the momentum to South Africa who had squared the series before the start of that Test. Back then, India appeared to have the upper hand as they gained a 41-run lead from the first innings. But ultimately, owing to a paltry second innings score (169 all out), they crashed to a five-wicket defeat to hand South Africa the series. India fans would want things to go quite differently this time. The weather Cape Town too, like the previous two Tests, is likely to see a bit of rain during the course of the match. However, the forecast predicts rain only on the first day of the Test, with sunshine likely to follow over the remaining days of the game. Venue - Quick Stats First Test: South Africa v England - 1889

South Africa: Played 45, Won 17, Lost 19, Drawn 9

India: Played 3, Won 0, Lost 2, Drawn 1

Highest total in a single innings: South Africa 651 (1st innings) v Australia – March 19, 2009

Lowest total in a single innings: South Africa 35 (2nd innings) v England – April 1, 1899

Best individual score in an innings: Stephen Fleming 262 (New Zealand) v South Africa – April 27, 2006

Best bowling figures in an innings: Johnny Briggs 14.2X4-5-11-8 (England) v South Africa – March 25, 1889 Probable playing XIs India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Cheteshwar Pujara, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and S Sreesanth South Africa: Graeme Smith (c), Alviro Petersen, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher (wk), Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Paul Harris, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel