South Africa vs India 2013: ODI series preview

South Africa’s captain AB de Villiers and India’s cricket captain MS Dhoni pose with the One-Day Internationals (ODI) cup

India start their 15 month foreign touring program with 3 ODIs and 2 Tests against South Africa from today with the first one day international in Johannesburg.

The previous series in 2010 was a well fought affair between the 2 nations with South Africa winning the ODI series 3-2 and the Test series was drawn 1-1.

The ODI series was a well fought battle with South Africa winning the last two matches to clinch the series. Hashim Amla and Yusuf Pathan being the new found heroes for their respective teams.

This time around, the Indian team has more experience and form in the shorter format of the game. With 6 straight series wins and all of their important players in top form, India are the favourites to win.

On the other hand, South Africa are coming off from a series loss against Pakistan in South Africa. Jacques Kallis has returned to the South African one day team after a hiatus of more than a year. Their bowling against the Indian batting is the major USP of the series.

The battles between Dale Steyn and Shikhar Dhawan, Morne Morkel and Virat Kohli will set the tone for an exciting series. Performances of Indian batting stars Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh would be under scrutiny since they are known for their troubles with the short deliveries.

Indian bowlers on other hand would love to bowl on tracks which will assist them. Mohd.Shami, Umesh Yadav will be itching to have a go on the bouncy pitches, especially in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Given the speed they possess, they can pose a serious threat to the South African bating line up. It will also be a great learning experience for Ambati Rayudu and Mohit Sharma, this being their first tour to South Africa.

Jacques Kallis would be the centerpiece of the South African batting line up, with Hashim Amla, Jean Paul Duminy, Abraham Devilliers supporting the veteran and David Miller providing the finishing touches with his power hitting.

It would be interesting to see how the South African batting tackles Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on bouncier tracks which might just be more suitable for them.

This series will mark the beginning of the road to World Cup 2015 for both countries. With the marquee event being just 15 months away now, this one day series is important for both the teams as they begin to try and set their team combinations.

Players to watch out for

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Shami

South Africa: AB deVilliers, Quinton De Kock, David Miller, Morne Morkel