Sir john
T20I Debutant
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2010
- Runs
- 7,565
need to win this one
MODERATORS can you guy correct name of south africa team?
![13 :13: :13:](http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/images/smilies/smiles/13.gif)
MODERATORS can you guy correct name of south africa team?
![13 :13: :13:](http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/images/smilies/smiles/13.gif)
Stunning is the only word that comes to mind when one wants to describe India's one run victory at Johannesburg. This victory has given them much needed confidence in this final series before the World Cup. For South Africa, the word 'Choke' may be coming back to haunt them. The victory at Johannesburg was India's first victory against South Africa in South Africa after 10 years and it was their fourth overall. The action now shifts to Cape Town where India would want to take a lead against a South African team with a fragile batting line-up.
India arrive at a venue where they spectacularly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory five years ago. After South Africa won the toss and elected to bat, India ran through the top order and reduced them to 76/6. It all looked good until Justin Kemp ferociously took apart the Indian bowlers. He blasted seven sixes and made mincemeat of a lackluster attack to score his only ODI ton. His efforts helped South Africa reach 274/7 and India were thoroughly demoralized. They lost momentum and the match by 106 runs and from that point on, their tour went from bad to worse. Dhoni will be wanting to avoid a repeat and ensure India go all out for a win at Newlands.
The pitch in Cape Town is expected to assist the spinners a little but it will assist the swing bowlers under lights. The venue has acquired a dubious distinction in day-night matches. Out of the 20 day night matches that have been played in Cape Town since 2000, teams batting second have lost 16 times. Looking at the numbers, Dhoni will want to bowl first if he wins the toss. It will be interesting to see what MS does with his team composition. This ODI is been played a day after the announcement of India's final World Cup squad of 15. With injury ruling key players out for this series, Dhoni might be forced to continue his experimentation.
The withdrawal of Tendulkar due to a hamstring injury has left the opener's slot vacant and Parthiv Patel might feature in this crucial match. With the exception of Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh, the middle order has looked brittle and Dhoni might be considering certain changes. Yusuf Pathan did not feature in the first two ODIs and he might be considered for selection. Rohit Sharma and Murali Vijay will want to end the tour on a high following their exclusion from the World Cup. However, the big worry remains Suresh Raina. He has failed on this tour and his batting look to be all over the place. Raina will be hoping to turn the corner in this game.
With reports of Zaheer Khan carrying a slight niggle, Dhoni will be in two minds whether to rest him for the series or continue playing him. Ashish Nehra has not been in good form in this series. He has struggled to maintain consistency in his line and length and South Africa have duly punished him. Munaf Patel has been the star so far with a match winning 4/29 in the previous ODI. His McGrathesque line and length has troubled the South Africans and he will be the key man in the bowling department. Dhoni has had to bank on the part-timers like Raina, Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh to bail the team out of trouble. Harbhajan has looked steady but hardly threatening. Depending upon the surface at Newlands, the Indian skipper may want to tweak the bowling line-up a bit. With the pitch probably assisting spin, Ashwin could partner Bhajji in the match.
For South Africa, they will be glad that they are returning to their fortress. Out of the last 10 ODIs played here, South Africa have been undefeated. In Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Wayne Parnell, the possess an awesome pace bowling arsenal that can blow away any batting line-up. South Africa will be depending on these bowlers to trouble the Indian batsmen with some swing and bounce. Tsotsobe, in particular, has troubled the Indian batsmen regularly with his bounce and variations in pace. He will once again be the key man for the South Africans, along with big Morne Morkel.
However, batting remains the major concern for the South Africans. In the absence of their talisman, Jacques Kallis, the middle order looks fragile. Smith, Amla, de Villiers and Duminy have contributed at vital times but one failure from either of the four has left the line-up vulnerable. Miller and Ingram have so far failed to impress in this series and that has put a lot of pressure on the other players. This long tail failed to wag in a crunch situation at Johannesburg and Smith will be worried about the composition of the batting line-up.
The series is shaping up to be an absolute thriller. Both teams look equal on paper and the only thing that matters now is which team will hold their nerve in tight situations. It promises to be an all-out slug-fest at Newlands on Tuesday.
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