India takes on South Africa in heavyweight clash
Sparks could fly when India meets South Africa in a much-awaited Group `B' encounter at the Vidarbha Cricket Association ground here on Saturday.
This contest of the ICC ODI World Cup should be high on intensity and skills. And the marquee names will add lustre to the duel. The Indians will need to lift their cricket. The top-order has to create a platform for the middle and the late order to fire. Against a top fielding side such as South Africa, the rotation of the strike and the running between the wickets will be critical. The Indian batsmen have not always been quick on the turn while going back for the second run. The calling has not been decisive either on a few occasions.
The South African pacemen could ask probing questions. Well-directed short-pitched bowling could be employed to disrupt the foot-work of the Indian batsmen. The batting will have to come together as a unit; Yuvraj Singh cannot be expected to don the cloak of a match-winner time and again.
India's bowling options
Picking R. Ashwin represents a viable option. It remains to be seen whether skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni hands another life-line to leg-spinner Piyush Chawla. There are chances too that India might opt for a three-man pace attack with Munaf Patel replacing Chawla in the eleven. Seeking wickets, Harbhajan Singh might have to rely on dip in flight, caused by serious revolutions on the ball, to find the way through the defensive mind-set that the batsmen have adopted against him in the competition.
Will the bowlers be backed by fielding that is sharp? If the Indians are sloppy on the field, the South Africans will make them pay. South Africa will wait before taking a final call on the talented Imran Tahir, nursing a broken left thumb. The leg-spinner with a potent wrong 'un has added another dimension to the South African attack. Tahir has been bowling at the nets but then fielding in a match situation could aggravate the injury. If Tahir does not play then the South Africans might encounter difficulties in managing the middle overs where Tahir had been influential with his ability to take wickets.
The South African batting will not exactly be high on confidence following a disastrous collapse on the chase against England at Chepauk. In this context, Zaheer Khan's first spell will be significant. The versatile left-arm paceman has often harried and consumed Graeme Smith by mixing the delivery that leaves the left-hander with the one that straightens. The smooth-stroking Hashim Amla, given his tendency to shuffle across initially, too is a candidate for a leg-before decision early on against Zaheer.
If the South African opening duo survives the early phase, then the Indians might run into trouble. Both Smith and Amla can construct monuments. The solid Jacques Kallis, the fleet-footed Abraham de Villiers and the left-handed Jean-Paul Duminy lend weight to the line-up. Yet, the batting can be vulnerable on the pursuit.
Kallis provides solidity
If de Villiers's back continues to be sore, Morne van Wyk will keep wickets. Even without de Villiers donning the big gloves, South Africa saves a place because Kallis, the exceptional all-rounder, provides balance to the side.
Dale Steyn returns to a happy hunting ground. The fiery paceman blew away the Indian line-up with seven for 51 in the first innings of the Nagpur Test in February 2010 and memories will be fresh. An ODI on a track expected to be batsman-friendly represents a different challenge for Steyn. Two factors, though, work in favour of Steyn. He has air-speed this does not depend on the nature of the surface and can conquer batsmen with late swing. As the innings progresses, the Indians will have to look out for his toe-crushing reverse swing. Morne Morkel could probe the Indian top-order too. He has the ability to extract bounce, on any surface, from the back-of-a-length with his height and high-arm action.
It remains to be seen whether Smith employs a pace-spin pair with the new ball against India. The combination of Steyn and Morkel might prove a better option. The face-off between the two pacemen and mercurial Indian openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag should be engrossing. Sehwag would attempt to use the speed while Tendulkar will seek to stroke with a straighter blade.
The dew should not be a major factor during this time of the year here. Batting first might be a good option. As the contest progresses, the pitch might offer increasing turn.
The teams: India (from): M.S. Dhoni (captain), V. Sehwag, S. Tendulkar, G. Gambhir, V. Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Piyush Chawla, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, R. Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Aashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, S. Raina, S. Sreesanth.
South Africa (from): G. Smith (captain), H. Amla, J. Kallis, A.B. de Villiers, J.P. Duminy, F. du Plessis, M. van Wyk, R. Petersen, J. Botha, D. Steyn, M. Morkel, I. Tahir, L. Tsotsobe, C. Ingram, W. Parnell.
The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : India takes on South Africa in heavyweight clash
