South Africa vs India 2018: 5 SA players to watch out for in the ODI series

A gruelling Test series between India and South Africa has just concluded, where the hosts won 2-1. India’s fragility when it comes to batting overseas on fast, bouncy, swinging pitches was exposed in the first two Test matches, leading to yet another series defeat for the Men in Blue in South Africa.

But India’s courage and self-belief must be credited for the way they bounced back and in almost unplayable conditions at the Wanderers. They battled against all the hardships and came out on top.

South Africa played to their strengths but their batting was exposed in the third Test, but, overall, they had a great series against the number one ranked Test team and will be looking to carry the positive momentum into the ODI series.

With the return of some familiar faces in the limited overs format and inclusion of some youngsters, this SA team look formidable and look set to dominate come February 1.

Here’s looking at 5 players we can look forward to who would play integral roles for SA.

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#5 David Miller

Everyone is familiar with the attacking Proteas batsman David Miller. He has gained prominence as a finisher, lower down the order. His ability to score runs quickly in any given situation is a big positive.

David Miller has had a mixed 2017 in the ODI format, where he was not able to convert starts into bigger scores and was struggling to rotate the strike often.

In 13 ODIs he scored a total of 370 runs at an impressive average of 61.29 but what's missing in these statistics is the fact that Miller was unable to create an impact in the ICC Champions Trophy and the series against England in England.

With AB de Villiers out of the team due to injuries and personal reasons for the most part of 2017, it was expected that David Miller would step up and play a more responsible role but that didn’t happen.

SA witnessed many batting collapses and lost some prominent series like their loss to hosts England. Their batting hasn’t been able to support the good work done by their bowlers.

Viewers got to see a resurgence of sorts when David Miller smashed the fastest ever T20I hundred against Bangladesh recently. His ability to strike big and clear the boundary at will was evident in that record-breaking knock.

Miller is one of the finest fielders in world cricket currently, and that is a big bonus for any team to have. He is equally effective in the ring as he is in the outfield. And his fielding and catching standards haven’t dipped despite a lean run with the bat off-late.

For a player who has scored 2396 runs in 100 ODIs at an impressive average of 39.23 with a career strike rate of over 100, it’s only a matter of one good knock in the middle to be able to get back to his demolishing best. The hosts will be hoping he can make an impact in the upcoming ODI series.

#4 Chris Morris

In modern times, every ODI team must have at least one, if not more multipurpose cricketers in their side for them to succeed. In this regard, the hosts have traditionally had a lot of such players on their side.

In this current team, they have JP Duminy, who is mainly a batsman and can also chip in with his useful off-spinners when required. Another player to watch out for is Chris Morris, who is known to hit the deck hard with his attacking brand of fast bowling.

He uses his height to good effect and extracts bounce and swing out of even flat, lifeless pitches. He is pretty effective in the death overs as well. He is able to bowl yorkers consistently in pressure situations which makes him a valuable asset to have on the team.

And what is worrisome for oppositions is his clean striking abilities with the bat coming down the order at the number 7 or number 8 position. Just when oppositions think they have dismissed the main batsmen, Morris comes in and changes the course of the game.

Add to this he is a very safe catcher. Faf du Plessis uses him in the slips on many occasions. So he is a complete package and if he fires, he could be one of the critical, integral players who could help the hosts defeat India in the ODI series.

#3 Imran Tahir

South Africa is usually known for producing world class fast bowlers. It would come as a surprise to know that their success in the ODI & T20s recently has got a lot to do with the performance of their talented and energetic leg-spinner Imran Tahir.

Tahir’s energy is clearly visible with his trademark celebration where he is seen running almost to the boundary. He is a critical cog in South Africa’s arsenal. He is after all the World #1 bowler in ODI.

They use him in critical junctions in an ODI innings. He is used at times to contain the batsmen, at times to maintain pressure from one end when conditions suit the fast bowlers more and generally as an attacking, wicket-taking option.

With the number of variations, he has up his sleeve such as the ‘Googly’ and the ‘Flipper’ he can be a handful especially if the pitch has something in it for spinners.

It will be interesting to see how he goes about with his bowling in this series as the tourists would want to attack him from the word go, and there lies the opportunity for Imran Tahir to deceive the batsmen and be successful.

#2 Quinton de Kock

India will be very much wary of what Quinton de Kock can do with the bat. As it was against them in 2013-2014, where a young De Kock smashed three consecutive hundreds.

Quintin de Kock has grown in stature, with him becoming the #1 choice for wicket- keeping across all formats of the game. And especially in ODIs he plays the role of the enforcer and gets the team off to a flying start along with Hashim Amla.

He has looked out of form in recent times especially in the recently concluded test series where his technical flaws of his were exposed due to some quality fast bowling. He ended up with a series total of 72 runs at a paltry average of 14.2.

He has got the complete backing of his coach Ottis Gibson who has gone on to say that it’s a matter of one good knock for De Kock to get back to his match-winning ways. His ability and talent are not in question for sure. As his wicket-keeping was exemplary right through the Test series despite not having a good series with the bat.

The hosts would hope with the change in format, there would be a change in fortunes for their wicket-keeping batsman. As once in full flow, he is a treat to watch and can cause some serious troubles for Virat Kohli and Co.

#1 Lungisani Ngidi

A young, promising fast bowler, Lungisani Ngidi recently made his Test debut and was very promising and impressive. It is not too often that a debutant comes into the team to replace an established player and perform so well.

On seamer friendly wickets in the Test series, Ngidi didn't let the relentless pressure put by the other fast bowlers in his side like Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada go away. His ability to hit the right lengths at good speeds consistently ensured that the pressure was maintained on the tourists.

In the two Test matches he played recently, he grabbed 9 wickets and definitely created a positive impression with the way he carries himself under pressure against quality, experienced batsmen.

He has been rewarded for his performances in the test series by being selected for the upcoming ODI series. Lungisani Ngidi has already represented SA in the T20 format where he was very impressive against the Sri Lankans, picking up 4/19, in one of the games showing his ability to perform in all formats.

The upcoming ODI series against India will be a challenge for him as he has shown good control and aggression when the bowl is new and the pitch is helpful in the Test matches.

How will he cope up in the ODI format with the white ball? Can he come in at the death overs and be effective?

These are some of the questions which will be answered over the course of the ODI series, but from what we have seen in the Test series and the T20I series against Sri Lanka, this youngster is here to stay and the more he plays the better he will get.