Every ball is crucial
THEProteas are requiring that their bowlers compete for every ball. That has been the plan all tour. It was the plan in Kanpur, when they stole Sunday’s opening one-dayer, and it will be the mode of attack this afternoon, in the second match of the series in Indore.
“In India, you will go for runs. But if you can control the first five overs, and the last five, then you normally win your games,” bowling coach Charl Langeveldt observed.
The tourists have found joy in bowling in unconventional areas at these crucial stages.
In Kanpur, on a wicket that was dry and started to crack up, they decided on the “back of a length” theory, trusting their superior pace and intensity to get on top of India.
Today, in Indore, they may well look to that strategy again. The Holkar Cricket Stadium pitch looks another good strip to bat on, and the short, straight boundaries may require going shorter, rather than risk being smacked back overhead if you overpitch.
“We will have to adapt to the conditions. I always say, the team that adapts to the conditions the quickest will control the game. We adapted well in the last game.
“It’s not just about bowling yorkers and slower balls at the death. You never know, you can come into a game and have to change it, depending on the conditions. Even though we were struggling, we did that very well in the last 10 overs of the last game.”
A large part of South Africa’s psyche is their resolute insistence on forgetting what has come before.
Several bowlers have mentioned that, even if an over has been carted for 10 or 12 runs, skipper A B de Villiers reminds them of the importance of finishing the over strongly.
This has resulted in bad overs turning good, like Farhaan Behardien dismissing Rohit Sharma after being hit for a few boundaries.
It’s not how you start, but how you finish.
“We look to stay in the moment. We probably won’t change our attack for this game, because we try not to change too much. But the key for us is to stay in those big moments,” Langeveldt said.
Those big moments have often revolved around Rohit Sharma on this trip. The Indian opener has fought a lone battle, with two hundreds in three innings. Get him early, it seems, and the Indian batting card looks very exposed.
Key to South Africa’s plans for Sharma is Dale Steyn, who started slowly on Sunday, but played a key role at the end, as he gave Kagiso Rabada enough runs to play with.
“Dale is a vital cog in our attack, and he has been excellent for us over the last few years,” Langeveldt recalled, when it was put to him that Steyn was not at his best.
“He went at five an over in that first game. As a bowling coach, I will take that any day.”
The Proteas’ only injury concern is Faf du Plessis, who didn’t take to the field on Sunday due to a niggly knee injury.
A final decision will be made this morning, although he looked to emerge unscathed from yesterday’s fitness test. INDORE: India have not lost in Indore. Granted, they haven’t played here in a while, but their three matches at the Holkar Cricket Stadium have ended in pretty comfortable victories.
Seven wickets, 54 runs, and then 153 runs. Those were India’s victory margins in their three games here. Oh, and they scored 418 the last time, in 2011. Added to that proud record, the ground is known for producing some belting good wickets for batters.
Virender Sehwag smashed 219 against the West Indies in the last match here, four years ago. The locals are predicting that India’s latest opening superstar, Rohit Sharma, will do the same.
The problem for India is not Sharma making runs. He has done it more than once, and ended up on the losing side on both occasions. They are desperate for Virat Kohli to find form, and even for the likes of MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina to step up.
Despite being at a ground that they have not tasted defeat, all the pressure is on the home side.
“India have a very good record here, but we want to put it to the test,” was the general mood of the South Africans.
To complicate things further for the hosts, India will most likely be without Ravi Ashwin for the rest of the series, a blow they may not recover from. In his absence, South Africa went into freescoring mode, and they will look to do so again tonight, on a great batting wicket, with short, straight boundaries and a blistering outfield.
“The outfield has a bit of a Centurion feel about it,” quipped Farhaan Behardien.
As he well knows, Centurion is a field where batsmen generally fill their boots. Expect runs tonight. Plenty of them…