Pace is the main weapon at the end of the day, says Steyn

South African pace bowlers, spearheaded by Steyn, have picked up 14 wickets in the ODI series so far

South African fast bowler Dale Steyn believes that bowling at high speeds is key in troubling batsmen. Steyn believed that the ability of the South African bowlers to hit speeds of above 140 kph was one of the reasons that the Proteas have been successful in India so far.

According to a report on Wisden India, Steyn was speaking to the press ahead of the fourth ODI in Chennai. After winning the T20 series convincingly and having a lead of 2-1 going into the fourth ODI, Steyn seemed to be in a relaxed state of mind.

The South African pace bowlers have managed to trouble Indian batsmen even on the slow Indian pitches, where spin is usually the key weapon.

“The major thing about our quick bowlers is that all three of us bowl more than 140 kph. All of us steam in and bowl really quickly at 145-plus, and pace on the ball makes it very tough for the batsmen,” Steyn explained.

“Especially in these conditions, between the 25th and 30th over when the ball gets soft and the wicket starts to crumble, it’s difficult to get the quicker bowlers away. So, pace is the main weapon at the end of the day. Even if the wickets are slow, it’s still really difficult to get away,” he continued.

Steyn has picked up four wickets from the three games he has played so far while Morkel and Rabada have seven and three wickets each. Incidentally, Morkel is the leading wicket-taker in the ODI series, after the first three games.

On the other hand, the Indian pace bowlers have been able to pick up only eight wickets. Steyn has been South Africa's most expensive bowler with an economy rate of 5.6, which is lesser than India's most economical bowler – Mohit Sharma with an economy rate of 5.92.

The new rule change in ODIs which allows an extra fielder outside the 30-yard circle is something that, Steyn believes, has been important in keeping the scores to just around 300.

“Now it’s a more even contest between bat and ball, and teams just can’t run away with it in the last 10 overs. You have to think it through. You should play extraordinary shots to score runs,” Steyn said.

South Africa can make history if they win the fourth ODI today in Chennai, by becoming the first South African team to win an ODI series in India. But Steyn was not getting carried away and believed that India have a chance of getting back into the series at Chepauk.

South Africa will be hoping that their bowlers, led by the spearhead Steyn, can continue their good form and help them take an unassailable lead to Mumbai, where the fifth ODI will be played on Sunday.