ICC Champions Trophy: India v/s South Africa - Hits and Misses

There were some disappointing performances, more so from South Africa.

South African bowling attack – Or the lack of it

It was not just one bowler but a couple of pacers who made sure Dhawan got his maiden ODI century. The South African team’s dependence on Steyn was clearly visible. Tsotsobe and Klenveldt got a few wickets but not at crucial moments. Conceding 162 runs between the two, lack of pace and length saw the SA bowlers being thwarted for boundaries and easy singles by the Indian batsmen. The South African fielding did not help a bit. A missed stumping, and sloppy fielding at the boundaries did them in. Morkel was the saving grace, and looked promising with his first over, but as fate would have it, he got injured, leaving South Africa in deep trouble.

Some serious homework needs to be done, or the South Africans can only hope and pray Steyn recovers soon and that Morne’s injury is not serious.

David Miller – Headless Duck

Run out for a duck by Ishant Sharma when the team needed him the most. Total failure in communication. Enough said.

Opening partnership – Stumbling run chase

The lack of an opening stand from Amla and Ingram left the South African run chase stumbling. Had it not been for the quick 50 by AB de Villiers and Peterson, who walked in at no 3, South Africa would’ve choked. A bad call for a second led to Peterson’s run out and an easy catch by Jadeja sent AB packing, thus ending all hopes for the South African chase.

Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik missed out on being the flops of today by more than making it up for their batting. However, they failed to capitalize on the batting powerplay and the excellent platform built by Sharma and Dhawan. The same goes for Ishant Sharma, who made sure the South Africans were still in the game. He definitely does need to work on his fielding and needs to be quicker on the field.

The Indian side are off to a good start in the Champions Trophy. But the bowlers need to work very, very hard. As for South Africa, any more injuries would be fatal for their chances in the tournament.