3rd Test (Preview): Outplayed India pray to avoid series whitewash vs SA

Johannesburg, Jan 23 (Cricketnmore) India will aim to avoid an embarrassing series whitewash and salvage some pride when they meet a confident South Africa in the third and final Test match which starts at the Wanderers Stadium here on Wednesday.

India could witness an archetypal South African wicket -- hard and dry with plenty of bounce -- which often provides lots of seam movement up front.

Spinners could also play an important role on the fourth and fifth days, so the inclusion of a tweaker could be helpful in the second innings.

In the batting department, apart from Kohli, all the other batsmen have totally failed to step up to the occasion.

Some of them are guilty of playing reckless shots -- which would have worked on a slow pitch -- in the first two Tests and coming into the third game, they will have got a measure of the task ahead.

The Indian team is full of stroke-makers like Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya. Their attitude of dominating the bowlers with a flurry of strokes will not work in the third match.