A new Indian generation of cricketers ready to write the lore
If India keep going on the way they are, they will fill the voids left by the departed big guys sooner than they think. One of the protagonists of this transition for India has been Suryakumar Yadav. In the T20 World Cup final which India had no business winning against South Africa, Suryakumar took that blinder which brought two joys for India. Number one; the World Cup fell right into their lap. Number two; it testified for SKY as the worthy successor of the team. Currently, the men in blue are on their eleven-match winning streak in T20Is and from what it looks they are not in the mood to let that streak break anytime soon.
That T20 World Cup final left the type of scars that the Proteas can not get rid of. It was their chance to rip off any tags along the lines of ‘chokers’ from them and finally lift the trophy. But it was not to be and that has been haunting them of late. They took the entire month after the final to recover from it, only to be greeted with a series defeat by West Indies. Even that could not salvage them of that torment since it was followed by an ODI series defeat versus Afghanistan and a 1-1 against Ireland in T20s. Now, they have a home series at stake against India and unless they gather their wits, this could be yet another chastening for them.
Team Overview:
While Abhishek Sharma is still miles from how he fared in the Indian Premier League (IPL), his opening partner Sanju Samson has made a statement with a century that he struck at a rate of 214. In essence, his innings was what got India in a position from where they could only win the match. But India would want to address the fact that no other batter was up to the mark. Varun Chakravarthy has had a comeback for ages and seems all set to replace India’s incredible spin duo across formats. In the first game, he and Ravi Bishnoi bowled as if they were unaware of only one thing and that’s how to make mistakes.
South Africa would want to work on their batting, more than anything. Aiden Markaram’s lean patch is extending longer than he or South Africa can afford any longer. It has been almost two years since the last time he scored a half-century in the shortest format, and with the new guys in the mix this is causing the Proteas a great amount of damage. The middle-order guys including Stubbs, Klaasen, and Miller need to step up and be more responsible for the runs. In absence of anchors, South Africa cant afford a collapse every time. In addition to that, despite having better bowlers this time around, they could not dominate the Indian team, taking nothing away from their brilliance, as they should have. Gerald Coetzee bowled as if he had started from where he left and it would have been a pleasing sight for the hosts to see at least one of their big guys doing what was asked of them.
Head-to-Head Matches:
South Africa have played India in 28 T20I games, winning eleven and letting India stomp over them in 16. One game ended in a no result, thanks to Bengaluru’s relentless rain.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Gqeberha is a pacers’ heaven, and it would be quite a task to fair against them. There is also a forecast for rain, but the match can be expected to be saved from its direct effect. However, indirectly, the conditions will become more pace-friendly and both teams would want to go fast bowling-heavy.
Prediction:
Indian team is on a roll and it would be difficult to stop them from getting the win. South Africa would need to put up a fight, since it is a four-match series and they will still have two games to go for their rescue mission.
Where to Watch:
India: Sports18, JioCinema App
South Africa: SuperSport
Pakistan: Tapmad
Australia: Fox Cricket
UK: Sky Sports, Sky Go App
