Top 5 Disappointments from the India-South Africa ODI series

With a crushing victory in the final match of the ODI series at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, the South Africans have won the 5 match ODI series 3-2. While the likes of AB de Villiers & Quinton De Kock made the series their own, there were players like Virat Kohli & MS Dhoni who showed glimpses of their true class. But at the same time there were few high-profile players who were a big disappointment. Much was expected of them and they failed to live up to their reputation and expectations. As we have seen often, the burden of expectation can at times bog down the very best.These players are world class performers and may soon return to form. But this series was not to be theirs and they find their name in our list of top 5 players who disappointed the most in the Paytm ODI series

#5 JP Duminy - 65 runs in 3 matches at an average of 21.66

JP Duminy has been in good form lately, but surprisingly failed in the ODI series

Spin becomes a key factor for any side touring the Indian sub-continent, and as a result, a batsman who can also roll his arm over for few overs of spin becomes a real asset. Hence, much was expected from JP Duminy who has also been a consistent performer in the IPL for some time.

He was also in rich form in the T20 series where he smashed 68 runs of just 34 balls in the first T20 and ensured that South Africa chased down a target of 200 runs with ease.

But contrary to expectations he failed miserably both with the bat and ball in the ODIs. In the end, he scored only 65 runs at an average of 21.66 and gave runs at close to 7 runs per over in the 3 matches that he played in. (Duminy missed the last two ODIs due to a hand injury)

#4 Bhuvneshwar Kumar - 7 wickets at an average close to 50 and economy rate over 7

The South Africa series leaves Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s side in the place a doubt

Over the past few years Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been a consistent performer in ODIs for India. His career economy rate of 4.82 runs per over, in the current era where 300+ scores are only par, is testimony of this fact. But in the current Paytm ODI series, he was well below his best. Barring figures of 3/41 at Indore he had an off series.

He reserved his worst performance for the final match of the series at Wankhede where his match figures read 1/106 in 10 overs. This was the second worst bowling performance in ODIs in terms of number of runs conceded. (Incidentally the worst bowling performance ever in ODI has also come against the Proteas in 2006 when Australia’s Mick Lewis conceded 113 runs in 10 overs).

#3 Shikhar Dhawan - 126 runs at an average of 25.2

Shikhar Dhawan was defenceless against Morne Morkel

The importance of a good start has been emphasized time and again in cricket irrespective of the format. We have seen that good teams have always possess a solid opening pair. A good opening partnership can make even an average middle order look great.

The Indians would have hoped that their opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan & Rohit Sharma would excel in home conditions. But with an average of 27.2 runs per match, the duo failed to give India a solid start

And the prime reason for this was the poor form of Shikar Dhawan who averaged a shy over 25 in this series. It was expected that Dhawan would flourish in batting friendly Indian pitches but unfortunately for India it never happened. The Delhi opener particularly found the going tough against the South African pacer Morne Morkel and was his victim 3 times in the 5 match series.

Dhawan’s form would be a serious cause of concern for the Indian team management as Dhawan in full flow has the potential to take the game away from the opposition.

#2 Suresh Raina - 68 runs at an average of 13.6

Suresh Raina played one important knock, but was a letdown otherwise

When the Indian captain MS Dhoni said that he would like someone to take up the role of a finisher, all eyes were on his Chennai Super Kings teammate Suresh Raina to take the baton from his skipper. However, much to the disappointment of Dhoni and the Indian fans Raina, failed to live up to the expectations of his skipper.

In one of the matches, his shot selection came under serious criticism. Shuffling of his batting position didn’t help him either. He started at No 6 in the first two matches and was then promoted to No. 5 in the last 3 with Dhoni taking up the all-important No. 6 position. Raina never really got going and his score in the series read - 3, 0, 0, 53, and 12.

#1 Hashim Amla - 89 runs at an average of 17.8

Hashim Amla failed to get a start in all the 5 matches

Touted as one of the best batsman currently in world cricket, it was expected that South Africa’s test captain Hashim Amla would set the Indian stadiums on fire with his classy batting. But much to the relief of the Indians, Amla failed to cross even 50 in the five outings.

It was the leg-spin of Amit Mishra & medium pace of Mohit Sharma which proved to be Amla’s nemesis. The duo accounted for him 4 times out of 5. He eventually scored only 89 runs at an average of 17.8 with a highest score of 37. So although the Proteas have won the ODI series; with the test series starting in 10 days’ time they will hope for Amla’s return to form soon.