Dhawan reminds Proteas that India need just one more game

HAVING been bamboozled by Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav in the first half of the one-day international series with India, it’s understandable that South Africa’s players will start to feel better about themselves following Saturday night’s win as they seek to come back in the series.

Man-of-the-match on Saturday Heinrich Klaasen said it would provide a massive boost to the home team’s confidence for the remaining two matches in the series, that they were able to dominate Chahal and Yadav at the Wanderers.

Before the fourth ODI the two wrist spinners had accounted for 21 of 28 SA wickets which fell in the first half of the series. On Saturday they again looked like they had made some decisive breakthroughs – dismissing Hashim Amla and JP Duminy after SA’s target had been reset following a second rain delay. However, after David Miller was given two lives – dropped when he had six and bowled off a no ball by Chahal when he had seven – the momentum of the match changed, and the spinners were put under severe pressure.

“The problem at the beginning of the series was we didn’t pick (the left-arm wrist spinner’s Yadav’s – googly). The leggie (Chahal) no one seemed to have problems picking him, although he did pick up a lot of wickets,” said Klaasen.

India’s spinners conceded 119 runs in 11.3 overs, with Chahal throwing in another no-ball and bowling three wides.

“They are young guys, they’ve played very well for us. Anyone can have a sh** day... but these two spinners have won three games for us,” said India’s opener Shikhar Dhawan. He correctly pointed out that the lengthy rain delay and wet outfield had made gripping the ball difficult for the spinners, a key factor in their poor performance.

While the South Africans will claim that the momentum is now with them heading to St George’s Park, Dhawan’s chirpy demeanour on Saturday indicated India weren’t going to get too downcast about the defeat.

“Sometimes luck favours the opposition, it favoured Miller and he took it with both hands. But it’s just one loss, one more game and we’re through,” said Dhawan.