JOHANNESBURG (AP) India won the toss and decided to bat first against South Africa in the final test at the Wanderers on Wednesday.
With India 2-0 down and the three-game series already lost, the top-ranked test team is now playing to avoid a first ever whitewash in South Africa.
India made two changes from its series-deciding defeat in Centurion, with batsman Ajinkya Rahane recalled in place of Rohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar back in the team to form a four-man pace bowling attack alongside Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah. India left out spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on a Wanderers pitch that will likely favor the fast bowlers.
South Africa took the same approach by including an extra seamer in Andile Phehlukwayo and leaving out slow bowler Keshav Maharaj. That was South Africa's only change from the second test.
---
Lineups:
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi.
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Parthiv Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah.
