India-South Africa: A battle of equals

With abundant quality and the right balance, both India and South Africa's limited-overs sides look evenly matched on paper. The finer margins may prove to be the difference

A discussion about cricket encounters between India and South Africa a decade ago would have rekindled distasteful memories of a match fixing scandal that ingloriously shattered the image of the game, of the unceremonious fall of one of India’s loftiest cricketers and a plane crash that claimed the life of former Proteas skipper Hansie Cronje. Fast forward to 2015 and cricketing ties between the two countries are all about the mercurial ability of Virat Kohli, the almost paranormal talent of AB De Villiers, Hashim Amla’s colossal appetite for scoring runs and a tad past his prime, yet lethal Dale Steyn. The ignominy of 2000 is a distant, fading memory.

India and South Africa is a delectable battle of equals. The last time the Proteas came calling to India — in 2009-10 — Sachin Tendulkar was astonishingly still obliterating bowling attacks. His highest one-day international score — which was also the first double century in limited overs cricket — came during that tour, in a whirlwind game at Gwalior. India went on to clinch the three-match series 2-1. This, in fact, is the South Africa’s first full tour of India since the fateful 1999-2000 series.

India will come into the T20 and ODI series buzzing with confidence. After recording a rare away Test series win against Sri Lanka last month, India would be raring to go head-to-head against a more accomplished, formidable South African side. India’s limited overs team is almost identical to the one that steamrolled the men in green and gold at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the World Cup earlier this year — a win that they would draw enormous confidence from.

However, on flat, docile pitches, the Indian bowling attack would do well do to replicate its MCG heroics of eight months ago. India will be without Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami for both the T20s and the ODIs. But in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma and Umesh Yadav, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has the right mix of pace and guile. However, there is no doubt that Dhoni will miss the zing of Shami both upfront and at the death. The man from Kolkata has been a revelation since making his international debut two years ago.

More than pace, Dhoni would want to strangle the Proteas with spin. South Africa has traditionally found the going tough against top quality spinners. Ravichandran Ashwin, who proved to be more than a handful for the Sri Lankans, will be Dhoni’s main attacking weapon. Also, the addition of Amit Mishra is a refreshing change. Along with his knack of picking up wickets, the 32-year-old will add a whole new dimension to the Indian attack. With Ravindra Jadeja losing favour with the selectors, Dhoni may well be tempted to go in with two specialist spinners.

South Africa, on the other hand, have a balanced side of their own. With Amla, De Villiers, Francois Du Plessis and David Miller leading the batting, the Indian bowling is likely to face a stern test. Their bowling, however, may be a slight weak link. Both Steyn and Morne Morkel have been below par by their high standards in the last few months, which means that Chris Morris (who knows a fair bit about the country after his stint with the Chennai Super Kings) and the unheralded Kagiso Rabada will have to step up.

Earlier this week, Tendulkar stated that Imran Tahir is the one South African bowler that India must watch out for. A quickish leg-spinner who likes to give it a rip, the 36-year old may well prove to be the touring side’s trump card.

THE MEN WHO MATTER

AB De Villiers

AB De Villiers

Such is De Villiers’ importance to the South African side that had he not been smartly run out by Mohit Sharma in Melbourne in February, the outcome of the match may have been very different. Captain in only the ODIs now, De Villiers will the relish the opportunity to bat on batting-friendly tracks. His ability to deal with both spinners and seamers with equal ease is what makes him special. Relatively smaller grounds in India will help him clear the boundary more comfortably. Ravi Shastri & Co. must be working overtime to a devise a plan to stop him.

Hashim Amla

Against Bangladesh in July, Amla, rather unfathomably, failed to score a single half century during the course of the entire tour. But he found his touch against the Kiwis in August, stroking two solid 40s and a delightful hundred in an ODI at Centurion’s Supersport Park. In the past, Amla has been India’s bogey man, churning out hundreds with phlegmatic ease against the men in blue. With Amla, there will be no booming square cuts or gargantuan sixes. Just an immense hunger to keep on batting. The Indian bowlers must be worried.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli

The stubble. The swagger. The sublimity. Kohli’s accession to Test captaincy has seen him soar even higher. After a slight dip in form during the course of the last year, Kohli seems to have found his mojo once again. Against Sri Lanka, Kohli led the team with vigour and batted with new-found tenacity. Equally adept at handling both spin and pace, the 25-year-old is easily India’s best batsman across all three formats. The Proteas would be keen to see the back of him as early as possible.

THE KEY BATTLES

The spin war

Unlike their opponents, South Africa haven’t produced a spinner of any pedigree in the last decade. It’s fair to say that Imran Tahir is the closest they’ve come. Tahir is a handful on slow turners, bowling with bite and sharp turn. But he must be at his best if he is to shadow the opposition duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra. South Africa also have in their squad Aaron Phangiso, a slow-left arm spinner, who could play second fiddle to Tahir. South Africa have always been known for their pacers, but their spinners are likely to play a pivotal role this time around. 

Fielding
 

For long, India was a middling fielding side in world cricket. Not anymore. With the likes of Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane and Kohli in the side, India is as good a fielding side as any in the world. But they will face stiff competition from South Africa, who have a couple of world-class fielders of their own in De Villiers, Du Plessis and J P Duminy. In a series where the result will be determined by fine margins, the number of runs the teams save in the outfield and the catches they take may prove to be a stellar difference.