World Cup 2019: 4 reasons why India hold the edge over South Africa

The wait is almost over as India look all set to start their World Cup 2019 campaign at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on Wednesday against South Africa, with the Faf du Plessis-led side yet to taste their first victory of the tournament.

India, one of the tournament favorites, will come into the competition rejuvenated after a long break while South Africa, plagued by injuries try and sort out their plethora of issues. South Africa have already played two matches and conceded heavy defeats in both of them. With the Proteas struggling with both bat and ball, the 'Men in Blue' will not need a second invitation to pile on to their opponent’s misery.

Here are four reasons why India might have an advantage over South Africa in their opening encounter.

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#1 The rest and fatigue factor

The Indian team will be raring to go when they start the World Cup against a struggling South Africa

India seem well-rested while South Africa seem to be fatigued and it shows on the field. South Africa were once known for their athleticism and superb fielding skills and while most of them still retain the former aspect of the game, their fielding skill seems to have gone down a few notches.

Their ground fielding in their second match against Bangladesh was really poor and they frequently misfielded. There are quite a few tired bodies too and they clearly lack the intensity and energy that one usually associates with the South Africans. Fatigue is also one of the reasons why their pace bowlers are out nursing injuries.

The Indian squad, on the other hand, seem to be quite rejuvenated following a three-week break after the IPL. Intelligently, the BCCI and the team management didn’t conduct a preparatory camp in India after the IPL and allowed players to spend quality time with their family and friends.

Their ploy seemed to have worked wonders. Going by the way the team trained after they landed in England and the various happy pictures the players keep posting on the social media, it feels that the team is in good mood and ready to fire.

#2 India’s settled batting unit vs SA’s wobbly batting line-up

KL Rahul's form at No. 4 will put Virat Kohli at ease and make Indian batting order more intimidating

For the last two years, there were speculations over who will be No. 4 batsmen for India in the World Cup. However, KL Rahul seems to have settled the debate last week when he hit a sublime century against Bangladesh in the warm-up game.

With Rahul hitting form at the right time, India can now boast of the most dreaded batting line-up. Rahul will be well cushioned by Virat Kohli coming in at No.3 and MS Dhoni at No. 5 spots in the batting order. Kohli will hope to make this World Cup his own by being the highest run-getter while Dhoni has already carried his IPL form into the tournament as he hit a scintillating century against Bangladesh.

The only concern is the form of India’s openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma as they failed to get going during the two warm-up games. However, with the team spending almost two weeks in England now, one hopes that both Dhawan and Sharma have ironed out their flaws and got acclimatized with the conditions. After all, it must not be forgotten that it was in England during the 2013 Champions Trophy that Dhawan and Sharma both came together to strike a rich partnership.

If India’s batting order looks threatening, South Africa’s batsmen look in total disarray and Hashim Amla’s concussion has only made it worse. Barring Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis, the batters are all at sea when it comes to dealing with the movement of the ball under overcast conditions. South Africa have also failed to fill the void in the middle order after the talismanic AB de Villiers retired from international cricket last year and will need to figure out their middle order soon.

#3 Variations in the bowling attack

Bumrah will be the 'X-factor' in the Indian bowling attack

Historically, batting has been India’s strongest suit when it comes to big events like the World Cup. However, considering the strength of the bowling department, one might not be mistaken if the likes of Shami and Bumrah lead India to the World Cup this time.

The bowling attack wears a solid look in this tournament. While Mohammed Shami is known for his accuracy and pace, Jasprit Bumrah can be a threat with both the new and old ball. He can deliver those toe-crushers to stem the run flow and contain the batsmen in the death overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, on the other hand, can be a handful with his ability to swing the ball both ways. Allrounder Hardik Pandya can easily and consistently clock over 140kmph and will be a constant thorn for the batsmen in the middle overs.

The spin bowling department, too, is well endowed with leggie Yuzvendra Chahal, chinaman Kuldeep Yadav and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, giving India’s attack plenty of variations.

#4 Injuries plague South Africa’s bowling attack

Imran Tahir will need to take up the bulk of the responsibility in Ngidi and Steyn absence

Compared to India’s attack, South Africa’s bowling looks insipid. Yet to recover from two defeats in a row, South Africa will be well aware that another loss could set them back by quite a few steps in the race to the semifinals.

Against a strong Indian batting line-up, they will have their task cut out, especially with injuries to key bowlers like Lungi Ngidi (hamstring) and Dale Steyn (shoulder) weakening their resources. The form of other pace bowlers — Kagiso Rabada and Chris Morris — has been wobbly and a lot will rely on leggie Imran Tahir.

What will also concern Faf du Plessis is the amount of extras his bowlers have conceded. South Africa bowlers really need to show some more responsibility and tread more carefully against a solid Indian batting line-up as another slip might take them closer to a potential World Cup exit.