No way India can take South Africa lightly in the contest at Perth in World Cup


No way India can take South Africa lightly in the contest at Perth in World Cup

The Indian cricket caravan rolled into Perth, high on hope and hype. Two wins in as many matches against Pakistan and Netherlands in the ICC T20 World Cup has definitely fired up the Indians. Without sounding banal, the key would be to tame the South African Lions on a fast and bouncy pitch. That is what the Optus Stadium track is known for, historically.

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There is a certain degree of familiarity between the two teams as they competed against each other in a snappy series held in India in September/October. The results in the three T20 internationals was 2-1 for India. In the ODI series, too, the scoreline was identical.
To be sure, there is a lot at stake for India. The way they performed in the last edition of the World T20 in the UAE in 2021 left a lot to be desired. This time around, having won an adrenaline-felted match against Pakistan and tamed Netherlands, India are in a happier position.

T20 cricket is fast, furious and unforgiving. Match results in the past do not matter. What makes a difference is performance on the day, or night. Virat Kohli has batted like a King and he gives massive assurance to Men In Blue. For that matter, SKY — Surya Kumar Yadav — also lit up the proceedings in the second match in Sydney. Skipper Roht Sharma also got a half century and Hardik Pandya is the all-rounder indeed has wanted for a long time.

All this sounds so nice, on paper. South Africa have been hunting for the elusive ICC Trophy. Years have passed and they have faltered on the big stage. Their recent performances in Australia have been engrossing. There is twin trouble in the form of danger-man Rilee Rousow and Quinton De Kock. To arrest these two batsmen would be imperative. If not, they can shred the bowling as they are batting with vengeance bordering on ruthlessness.

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Why Team India need to be worried about playing South Africa?

India
Team India

When the Indian team left for Australia, they had left two bowlers behind, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. The replacements have been effective and between Shami and Bhuvi, they have been impressive Yet, if you think, you can intimidate South Africa so easily, you are wrong. Rilee is a fierce destroyer in the mould of Conan The Barbarian. Quinton de Kock is so familiar to India. He has batted in the IPL and many more internationals. He has power and that single-handed aggressive instincts to show brutality on the pitch.

If Melbourne was wet, cold and slippery, in many ways, Sydney was sunny and assisting spin. Perth will be drastically different. India are in a position of comfort, or so it seems. Yet, to continue with sheer inertia would be the key so that they can stay toppers in the pool. There are weaknesses and crevices in the Indian side which need to be camouflaged.

KL Rahul happens to be a poor performer with consistency. With Vikram Rathour the batting coach preaching for his continuance at the press conference on Saturday, there were raised eyebrows. DK, Dinesh Karthik, also has shown that he is not an Artful Dodger as would have been described by Charles Dickens, but a Doubtful Keeper. His glove-work has been shoddy and he has not yet got that chance to showcase his finishing skills. After all, he bungled against Pakistan in the lung opener. Will Rishabh Pant come in, we will know in less than a few hours.

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South Africa have a fantastic bowling line-up. The way Anrich Nortje has bowled makes him look menacing. You also have Kagiso Rabadda, who can be a tormentor. One should not be surprised if SA add more pace to their bowling. They would love to bounce India out early. History is replete with instances when speedsters like Allan Donald and Dale Steyn have tormented India in the past. The solace is, the two are retired now!

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There is no rain prediction for Perth. Western Australia should be dry and clear weather can make the contest lively. All of a sudden, the focus is on India and a resurgent Proteas. Don’t read too much into the results when they toured India recently. Conditions Down Under are very different and Riley is in red-chilly-hot-form. And their speedsters can pepper the Indian batting with intimidating stuff even in the shortest version of cricket.

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