Redhot Shikhar Dhawan sets pace for India in 1st T20
ROUSING START India resume from where they left off in ODIs with solid start despite losing Kohli JOHANNESBURG:
Even before the series began, India had their foot in the door. Big draw AB de Villiers was ruled out of the T20 series due to knee injury, denting Proteas right at the onset.
While it is too early to predict, it just confirms how the South Africans, who haven’t been laying much emphasis on T20 Internationals by usually playing only the top 4-5 players, may just find it tough to stop the India juggernaut.
At the time of going to print, India were 138/3 in 13 overs in the first T20 at the Wanderers here on Sunday.
India’s top order, compared to the South African top order, has been in sublime form and it maintained its run. Rohit Sharma gave them a flying start against an inexperienced South Africa attack comprising Junior Dala and Dane Paterson.
Rohit couldn’t carry on, but India’s decision to send Suresh Raina at No 3 ahead of the in-form India skipper Virat Kohli was a bit suprising. Kohli was unstoppable during the ODIs, scoring 558 runs in the sixgame series that India won 5-1.
Raina, who is now more of a T20 specialist, showed why exactly he isn’t in the ODI side. A very good batsman, he, however, 21 (9) 59 (33) 15 (7) 26 (20) 11 (9)
hasn’t been able to build an innings.
Raina, at one point, was the best T20 batsman and an equally important member of the ODI side. But on Sunday, with India cruising at over 12 an over and boundaries coming easily through conventional and unorthodox strokes like upper cut, he still decided to play shots that were not required at the start.
Perhaps it was because the Wanderers pitch has that extra bounce and pace that Raina had to take on the bowling the way he does.
While opener Shikhar Dhawan, another success in the ODI series, has become adept at playing the pull shot, and showed his ability on Sunday and during the ODI series, Raina kept to his old methods of coming down the track and trying to swat over the in-field.
Although he managed a six, Raina went off track soon, first miscuing and dropped in the deep by Farhaan Behardien and eventually caught and bowled off a short delivery by Junior Dala.
It was risky for Kohli to send him that high in the line-up, especially here and when the shine had not come off the ball. Kohli got a start and after surviving a chance – Behardien again dropping a catch in the deep – eventually fell for 26 off 20 deliveries. Chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi had him leg-before with one that came into him. Kohli reviewed without success.