IND vs SA 2022: 3 player battles to watch out for in the 1st ODI

India and South Africa are set to lock horns in a three-match ODI series starting at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Thursday, October 6.

While a host of A-listers led by Rohit Sharma are bound for the T20 World Cup preparations in Australia, Shikhar Dhawan will lead the Men in Blue against a full-strength South African unit. The series is part of the ICC World Cup Super League, adding a lot of incentive for the Proteas to seal direct qualification for the marquee event next year.

Despite fielding what is their second-string outfit, India have a plethora of talent and skill at their disposal. Playing at home offers them another advantage, despite the might of the South African team they will be up against.

On that note, let's take a look at three key player battles that could define which way the opening ODI heads.

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#1 Shikhar Dhawan vs Lungi Ngidi

Shikhar Dhawan's strike rate in 13 ODI innings in 2022 stands at a below-par 76.33. These numbers are totally unlike the usually free-flowing southpaw, but it's no secret that he has struggled to find his touch from the word go this year.

Of course, with India taking the field sporadically in ODIs, he has often entered a series with very little game time under his belt. How he counters that will be a factor of intrigue on Thursday, when he's likely to come up against Lungi Ngidi.

Amidst the pace and excitement that comes with Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, Ngidi often slips under the radar. He remains a very effective operator with his hard lengths and if there is no swing on offer, can turn to his cutters to deceive the batter. This makes for a fascinating powerplay duel in the first India-South Africa ODI.

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#2 Deepak Chahar vs Janneman Malan

South African opener Janneman Malan bagged the ICC Emerging Player of the Year award for a stellar showing in 2021. The opener has struck four half-centuries and three centuries in just 19 ODI innings thus far and has formed a solid opening combination with Quinton de Kock.

One aspect of Malan's game that stands out is how he predominantly plays off the back foot. Should there be some swing on offer, it should make for an enticing battle when Deepak Chahar takes the new ball for India.

Chahar had a fine outing in the T20Is against South Africa and is known to get the brand new ball to swing both ways. Malan's front-foot skills ought to come under test when the ball is pitched fuller. Chahar having him caught behind in the Cape Town ODI earlier this year off a similar delivery, adds a further layer of intrigue to the battle.

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#3 Shreyas Iyer vs Tabraiz Shamsi

For all his struggles against the short-pitched stuff, Shreyas Iyer is a fine player of spin bowling. While he did perish against wrist-spin while going for the big ones in the IPL, the 50-over format generally gives him the perfect cushion of time to blend caution and aggression.

Tabraiz Shamsi did not feature in South Africa's playing XI in the last two T20Is, but is expected to pair up with Keshav Maharaj in the ODI series. The middle overs are a phase in which he tends to break partnerships and Iyer, India's vice-captain for the series, is likely to have a big role in countering him.

A crafty spinner against someone who plays spin bowling really well - now that's a matchup alright!

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