The two behemoths of world cricket, India and South Africa, will square off at the gorgeous HPCA Cricket Ground today to kick-start their 72-day long tussle involving three T20’s, five ODIs and four Test matches. Engulfed with mountains all around, it will be a deep contrast to Proteas’ hot, humid and sticky start at Palam against India A. There the visitors came out second best losing by 8 wickets despite putting up 189 on the board.
This, however, will be a totally different ball game. led by MS Dhoni who hasn’t played since the debacle in Bangladesh, team India would aim at achieving a different sort of aggressive play. Dhoni who had retired from Tests in Australia last year, will come into the series with a fresh mind and a chance to prove the critics that even at 34, he still has plenty of cricket in him to lead the team.
With a 7PM start, the dew factor would be pivotal which makes the toss vital as Suresh Raina, South Africa captain Faf du Plessis and India captain MS Dhoni said before the match. The pitch on an average day is quick in nature and bounces heavily which is likely to favour the pace attack of the visitors. Keeping this in mind, the spinners would have their work cut out even if spin has been considered a key tool by both captains. The damp nature of the pitch could result in plenty of runs in the middle stages of the innings.
For South Africa, they would bank their hopes heavily on AB de Villiers, du Plessis, JP Duminy and under firing David Miller to come to the fore. South Africa would also expect solid start from Hashim Amla and to build on it. Their exploits and experience of playing in the IPl will be important as well with little chances of a surprise element.
In the bowling department, South Africa will be without the services of the menacing duo of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. They would expect Kyle Abbott, Albie Morkel or Chris Morris to hit the ground running. But Morkel, who came in as a replacement for David Wiese, had missed the practice game in Palam.
Imran Tahir, attributed as a decisive factor for South Africa, by Sachin Tendulkar will be one to watch out for - especially in the middle of the innings where he is most explosive.
Over in the Indian camp, it will be interesting to see how their batting lineup shapes up. The players are fit and come after a break of a month post the victorious Sri lanka tour. Shikhar Dhawan has fully recovered from his hand injury and he hit the ground running against Bangladesh A with a century. It will be interesting to see who he starts with — Rohit Sharma or Ajinkya Rahane. Up ahead the middle order is likely to be untouched in Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Dhoni. For Harbhajan Singh, the series will be important to prove himself against a strong opponent. But with Ravichandran Ashwin as a proven asset for the Indian team, his place is assured. The other spin options are Amit Mishra and Axar Patel.
The seam bowling attack may go lacking for the home side. Bhiuvaneshwar Kumar hasn’t played in the last six months and this will be a test of his confidence. Mohit Sharma and new inclusion Sreenath Aravind will fight for the second spot. Stuart Binny is likely to get a look in too thanks to his all-rounder abilities - which could be important in such conditions.
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