Over-reliance on Rassie van der Dussen remains a concern for South Africa

Rassie van der Dussen's grinding 86 went in vain as Bangladesh picked up their first-ever win on South African soil on Friday. The Tigers, who managed to put up a 300-plus score in Centurion, managed to strangle the Proteas through a quality bowling display.

Openers have been an issue for South Africa despite Janneman Malan's sensational rise in ODI cricket. In recent times, the Proteas have been caught wanting which firmly puts pressure on their middle-order players.

Quinton de Kock has not played a match-winning innings for a long time and Aiden Markram has been completely out of sorts.

With the top-order short of runs, van der Dussen has emerged as a valuable player in the middle-order who can switch gears according to the situation. It is no wonder he is so highly rated by his captains, be it Faf du Plessis or Temba Bavuma.

Van der Dussen: A messiah in recent times

To this day, Rassie van der Dussen has bailed his team out on numerous occasions. In his debut match against Pakistan, he slammed an unbeaten 93. A game later, when the top-order was dismissed for a paltry 21 runs, he rescued the ship with an unbeaten 80 to take South Africa home.

In the 2019 World Cup, van der Dussen was South Africa's highest run-getter, contributing with fifties against New Zealand and Australia. His consistency in the ODI format has simply been outstanding. Boasting a 75+ average, the stylish right-hander has already slammed 11 fifties and a couple of hundreds in just 27 innings.

The South African is also one of the few players in the international T20 game to boast a 38-plus average with a 130-plus strike rate. In short, Rassie has been a messiah for South Africa since his arrival.

It is this very quality that has further jeopardized their batting strength. South Africa, in the recent past, have become incredibly reliant on van der Dussen's versatility. Apart from Bavuma, no one has shown any consistency in the shorter formats.

South Africa have been bailed out on numerous occasions due to just one player. However, they have also been on the receiving end when the target has been too big. The first ODI against Bangladesh was a perfect example of that.

After crumbling to 36/3 within the powerplay, the Proteas once again needed their main man to rescue the ship. However, with little support from the other end apart from Miller, South Africa capitulated to a 38-run defeat.

If South Africa are to become a better batting line, they have to seriously consider their top-order woes. The team management will have to be brave enough to consider dropping some established players in Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock.