South Africa suffered a close heart-breaking 17-run loss to India in Ranchi as the Men in Blue finally got a win under their belt after suffering a drubbing in the Test series. South Africa were always playing catch-up after winning the toss and bowling first and they did well to push India hard and put pressure on them. But in the end, they fell short. There were a few areas where they fell short and must address those issues going forward and we will try and decipher the turning points in the match.
Rohit Sharma being dropped by Tony de Zorzi costs South AfricaÂ
Put into bat first, India were quickly off the blocks as South Africa searched for the right lines and lengths. Yashasvi Jaiswal quickly went to 18 but once again fell to the left-arm pace bowler Nandre Burger. Virat Kohli walked out to bat next. Then came the first big moment in the game when Rohit was batting on 1 against Burger as he miscued the pull shot straight to de Zorzi at deep square leg who got there but then put down a sitter.
Rohit was batting on 1 at that stage and had that catch being taken then Burger would have had two in the over and pressure would be really on Kohli and India. But it was not to be as Rohit made the most of the opportunity and scored 57 his 60th ODI fifty. More than the score, it was the partnership with Virat that laid the platform for a big score in the end. The duo shared 136 runs for the second wicket and never looked in trouble. Yes, South Africa came back and pegged things a little bit but India had the platform to get close to 350.
South Africa were clueless against them once they set in to the crease as they dominated the bowling. But it could have been so different had that catch being taken. South Africa’s fielding was spot on apart from this dropped catch. They say catches win matches and South Africa need to be alert at critical moments to seize the match. In this game, they lacked behind on big moments. In the upcoming match, they need to seize the moment and not let the game drift along.
Losing 3/11 inside 5 overs of the chase put South Africa on the back foot
Chasing 350 for the win, South Africa wanted a good solid start to lay the platform. More than a fast start, they needed a solid start with wickets in hand but what they got was the opposite that really set them back in the chase. The two Indian new ball bowlers Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh found some movement off the pitch and in the air and wreaked havoc. Rana got rid of Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock in the same over in a matter of 3 balls.
While Arshdeep Singh got rid of captain Aiden Markram for 7 to leave the Proteas tottering at 11/3 in 4.4 overs in a 350 chase and once this happened, the South Africans were only playing catch-up. The top order and the main three players failed to contribute for South Africa. Credit though to South Africa to come back and throw punches at India till the end. But it was a bridge too far in the end as things would have been so so different had one of the top three clicked.
Aiden Markram mentioned in the presentation that they lost mainly due to top order not performing and missing out. It will be essential for South Africa that their top order forgets this match and comes back with a bang with series on the line in the next game. They are capable players and a little shuffle or change in batting order may just work out wonders for them. But they kept fighting till the end which was heartening to say the least.
Kuldeep Yadav’s double strike getting rid of Marco Jansen and Matthew Breetzke in 34th over sealed the fate of the match
Despite the disastrous start, South Africa fought back brilliantly through consistent partnerships and one such partnership was between Marco Jansen and Matthew Breetzke. They came together at 130/5 in the 22nd over and Jansen teed off straightaway while Breetzke was playing the anchor role. While they were there, India were under the pump and South Africa clawed their way back in the game. The duo put on 97 for 6th wicket and were largely untroubled on a belter of a wicket.
The turning point of the game came in the 34th over bowled by Kuldeep Yadav as he came back and dismissed Jansen for 70 off 39 balls first to start the over well. And then two balls later, he removed the well-set anchor player Matthew Breetzke for 72 off 80 balls as India roared back and had South Africa 7 down. This literally was a body blow as two new batters came to the crease and while Corbin Bosch kept the fight alive from one end, it was a bridge too far in the end.
South Africa needs to seize and play the big moments better and they failed to do so today. They fought like warriors, but still came up short. In the next game, they need to address this issue of losing wickets in clusters and get in steady partnerships in order to do well in the next game. If they learn from their mistakes, there is no reason why they cannot upstage India in this ODI series.
What Lies Ahead
After a thrilling first ODI in Ranchi, the bandwagon moves to Raipur for the second ODI on December 3rd at 1:30 PM IST. We will have to wait and watch to find out whether South Africa bounces back to level the series 1-1 or will India go on and take a winning 2-0 lead in the 3-match series. All to play for in Raipur.
Also Read:Â IND vs SA: India Draw First Blood In Series With Nervy 17-Run Win