It came as a shock to every Indian fan when Team India started to lose wickets in quick succession during the 1st ODI against South Africa after a solid partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli.
Batting first, South Africa were bolstered by captain Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen’s centuries in the 1st innings of the game as they added a double hundred stand to help the hosts set a target of 297 for India.
India were off a steady start with the bat, but KL Rahul departed for 12 before Dhawan (79) and Kohli (51) put on what looked like a threatening stand for the hosts, however both were dismissed in quick succession after which the middle order collapsed and lost the momentum and ended up giving a 1-0 lead to the hosts.
While the situation calls perhaps a look at the fragile batting line-up, especially after the top three, Indian team will also require a much-improved bowling effort in their upcoming matches. Debutant Venkatesh Iyer was not given a chance to show his bowling talent on the field during the 1st ODI, which raised questions about his role as an all-arounder in the team.
South Africa stood at 68-3 but ended up scoring 296 runs with the help of Bavuma and van der Dussen’s commendable centuries.
Judging India’s bowling performance, wicketkeeper-batter and now also an analyst, Dinesh Karthik suggests inclusion of Prasidh Krishna or Mohammad Siraj in the XI.
“I'd definitely like one of Prasidh (Krishna) or (Md) Siraj playing these games. It is very important for India to find a way to add pace to their attack. Whether they want to rest Bumrah or Bhuvi is up to the management. I think they (quick bowlers) can make a difference in the middle of the innings, which is where they don’t seem to find wickets," said Karthik while speaking to Cricbuzz after the game.
On Venkatesh not bowling a single over against South Africa, Karthik said, "I think KL Rahul will present his case (to the coach) why he didn’t give him a bowl. But it kind of surprised everybody because that’s the role they want him to do – bat at six and bowl a bit. But he has to bowl. If you don’t allow him to do one of the skills, you are negating the effect of picking such a player."
The Indian batters allowed Aiden Makram to bowl six consecutive overs for just 30 runs where he also ended up taking skipper KL Rahul’s wicket, which proved to be crucial in the end.
“They want Ngidi to bowl in the middle. They are looking to matchup (at the start of the innings) - they bowled Markram for Dhawan and Marco Jansen for KL Rahul. They'll bring Markram at the start. And unless you play like England, and put pressure from ball one... you'll have to remove him. But if you milk him around, they are happy with it," he further added.
The teams will be playing the 2nd ODI at the same venue on Friday (January 21).
