With the series standing at 2-1 in favour of the Proteas, Dhoni’s men need a win at the Chidambaram stadium to stay afloat in the five-match series.
India retained the same side which lost the previous match in Rajkot, while South Africa were forced to make two changes due to injuries to all-rounder JP Duminy and fast bowler Morne Morkel.
They were replaced by fast bowler Chris Morris and left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso.
The match will be officiated by two Indian umpires after the International Cricket Council withdrew Aleem Dar of Pakistan for the last two games in Chennai and in Mumbai on Sunday due to security concerns.
The right-wing Shiv Sena party, known for its anti-Pakistan stand, had threatened to stop Dar from umpiring in the Mumbai match.
The one-day series will be followed by four Test matches.
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Amit Mishra, Axar Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Mohit Sharma.
South Africa: AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Chris Morris, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn.
Umpires: Sundaram Ravi (IND) and Chettithody Shamshuddin (IND)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)
