Well, after a
wonderful winning streak we took a break and lost the fourth ODI match. It is a
point to be noted that South Africa wore pink in order to raise awareness about
breast cancer. Interestingly they have never lost a match in pink. And that
streak they continued in their match against India in Johannesburg. And of course D&L.
So what happened at
the 4th ODI? Duckworth and Lewis. (with a touch of pink). When India came in to
bat, it looked like a beautiful day. For India at
least. Shikhar Dhawan hunted like
no body’s business. His 109 from 105 deliveries along with Captain’s 75 and
Dhoni’s 42 took the score to a very good 289. With a couple of good
partnerships, South Africa found it hard to restrain the total. The ECO rate of
the South African bowlers did not fall below 5. It was a dull day for the home
team. And then this dull day became the silver lining they wanted. Bad
lighting. Interrupted play. Duckworth and Lewis. And good contribution by all
the batsmen. The match was reduced to 28 overs. Target - 202. South Africa won
by 5 wickets.
Heinrich Klaasen won
the man of the match. His 43 off 27 deliveries. Wonder why. If anything,
D&L helped their victory. Played key role. It is alright to award man of the match to a player who is not part of the
winning team, yes? What do you think?
By the way, South Africa was fined for slow over rate. However, if they commit another minor over-rate breach in an ODI within a 12-month period with Markram as captain, he will face a suspension.
By the way, South Africa was fined for slow over rate. However, if they commit another minor over-rate breach in an ODI within a 12-month period with Markram as captain, he will face a suspension.
Moving on to the
fifth ODI. Chahal had a rough day. His ECO rate was 12.35. Possibly the worst
in his recent past. The rest of the bowlers too took it bad. They need to shake
it off and win the match tomorrow. Big day. The men in blue are on the verge of
creating history. It is time.
Despite the fact that
India lost the match, I do not think there will be any change in the playing
XI. Wonder if Axar Patel expects to be in. The South African squad - Imran
Tahir might get the nod. No changes in the batting lineup in my opinion.
Players that need to
work on their performance - Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Hashim Amla, Miller, and Markram.
The must have and
reliable players include Kohli, Dhawan, Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav,
De Villiers, and Andile Phehlukwayo.
Key Players
Batsmen
AB de Villiers
David Miller
Shikhar Dhawan
Virat Kohli
Dhoni
Bowlers
K Rabada
B Kumar
Kuldeep Yadav
Y Chahal
Keep your lineup
coming. This is cricket. Anything can happen. Listen to our podcast for more
views.
Indu
P.S. Please note that
the above-expressed opinions are purely the Editor’s. We do not take
responsibility, nor
can we guarantee the performance of the players. All the best !!!
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