Why South Africa lost the ODI series against India

“Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth”

- Mike Tyson

The quote above sums up what happened to South Africa in the ODI series against India. Who would have thought that after winning the Test series 2-1, South Africa would be humiliated in the 50-over series. They were not only battered by the visitors 5-1 but also lost their No. 1 rank to them.

From losing their key players due to injury to having a captain just two ODIs old. From failing in the batting department to trying new things match after match in the bowling department, South Africa were never able to find answers to the questions Indian camp threw at them.

Here are few things that cost South Africa this series.

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#1 Injury laden South Africa

Before the beginning of the series, South Africa were considered favourites with the likes of Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, David Miller, JP Duminy and captain Faf du Plessis in their ranks.

However, they lost AB de Villiers due to an injury on the last day of the final Test match. Things got worse for them when in-form captain Faf du Plessis was ruled out after the first match as well.

With no AB and Du Plessis in the team, they suffered one more blow as they lost their primary choice wicket-keeper De Kock due to a wrist injury.

#2 Markram As Captain

There’s an old saying, “A Captain is as good as the team”. With Du Plessis injured after the first ODI, South Africa were in desperate need of someone who can lead them. With no De Villiers till the third ODI as well, Aiden Markram was given the captain’s armband despite the fact that he had played only two ODIs till then.

Markram had a series to forget both as a captain and player, however, his counterpart grabbed the opportunity presented to him with both hands and amassed 558 runs with three centuries and a half-century.

#3 Overall Team Performance

India looked like a team

“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people”

The team performance from South Africa in the ODI series was very disappointing. They never looked like a team and failed to stitch partnerships anywhere in the batting order.

Inexperienced middle-order and lack of responsibility from senior players

Their middle order was inexperienced and with no AB and Du Plessis, the new generation of South African players looked unprepared to face the challenges thrown by Indian bowlers.

Most importantly, they failed to read the Indian wrist spinners Chahal and Yadav, who combined to fetch 33 wickets in the series. Loose shots from experienced players like Amla, Duminy, Miller, and Morris cost them as well.

Inefficient bowling attack

A bowling attack which won their team the Test series looked inefficient in the ODI series. They never looked lethal enough in their approach and were inconsistent with their line and length throughout the series, unlike the Test series.

One of the major reasons for their failure was the chopping and changing of bowling unit after every match. One such example of this is the inclusion of Shamsi over Tahir in the fifth ODI despite the fact that India had more right-handers in their line-up.