5 reasons why the Gandhi-Mandela ODI series was the most thrilling cricket contest in India in a long time

South Africa won the five-match ODI series 3-2A month long limited-overs cricket entertainment between India and South Africa comes to an end, with the visitors clinching both the T20 and ODI series quite comfortably.Though the Indians started the ODI series with an intention to make amends for the 2-0 defeat in the T20 series, the raw talent the Proteas possessed was just too hot for the Men in Blue to handle, as the African Lions pounced on the hapless hosts, tearing them apart in the fifth ODI, claiming a huge triumph of 214 runs.The Wankhede pitch was a bit on the bouncy side, with the ball coming on to the bat quite nicely, accompanied by the least amount of turn for the spinners compared to the other wickets. And that was exactly what South Africa wished for, as after winning the toss AB de Villiers had no hesitation to bat first.Quinton de Kock’s special love for India and the Indian seamers’ bad precision in line and length made tasks much easier for the visitors, with de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Kagiso Rabada playing their parts in obliterating India in the decider.But apart from the final match, the Indians can be quite proud of the way they fought throughout the series, bouncing back at crucial junctures, even after suffering unexpected losses in the first and third ODIs.In fact, the series witnessed some of the most exciting battles of the year, with both teams fighting hard for supremacy, in the sweltering heat. Let’s have a look at the 5 reasons why the Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela ODI series was the most thrilling cricket contest in India in a long time.

#1 Clash of the titans

Yes, it was the clash of the titans, as the second-ranked ODI team India locked horns with the Proteas who are just a rung below them in the ICC ODI rankings.

Obviously, India started as the favourites on the back of their scary home domination, but the experience in the IPL aided South Africa throughout the series. The crowd supported the visitors well, especially De Villiers, whose name echoed all around the stadium whenever he offered them a visual treat of high-quality batsmanship.

Both teams are inundated with the most loved and high ranked cricketers in the World. While De Villiers, Hashim Amla, and Virat Kohli occupy the top three ODI ranks respectively, Shikar Dhawan and M.S. Dhoni are the other two batsmen in the top 10 rankings.

When Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, and Ajinkya Rahane further bolstered the Indian batting line-up, the likes of Du Plessis, J.P. Duminy and David Miller made the Proteas batting order invincible.

With Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, and Imran Tahir in their bowling attack, the visitors had the firepower to run through any batting order, but surprisingly, the young and inexperienced Kagiso Rabada was the real leader of the pack.

Indians too had some really good bowlers in their line-up, as Amit Mishra, Harbhajan Singh, and Akshar Patel exploited the spin-friendly conditions quite decently though they couldn’t make much of an impact in the final game.

#2 Equal contest between bat and ball

Keeping apart the one-sided final ODI (that was a game out of the planet), it seems like the good old days are back, with anything close to 300 being a very good score. This is thanks to the change in fielding restrictions.

Batsmen of both teams (except AB de Villiers) struggled to get going in the slog overs, as the 5th fielder cut definite boundaries to ones and twos. Fast bowlers got a substantial amount of reverse swing from the sub-continent conditions, and the sluggish nature of the wickets also made things challenging for hard hitting.

Cricket is not just about sixes and fours, as the significant change in the power-play rules will definitely encourage the pacers to bowl more confidently at the death. Batsmen had to run hard between the wickets to keep the scoreboard ticking, while Morkel, Steyn and Rabada ensured that the Indian batsmen will have to sweat a lot to post a decent total, thus evening up the contest between bat and ball.

#3 Close finishes

Once again, I will have to start with the phrase ‘apart from the fifth ODI’, as the other four matches were exhilarating encounters between the hosts and the visitors, with victory chances swaying to both sides throughout the game.

Though the team that batted first won all the ODIs, we saw some really thrilling chases in the 2nd innings of the matches, along with some nail-biting finishes.

While the South African pacers suffocated India in the final overs of the first and third ODI, the hosts bounced back, by almost bowling out the opposition in the second and fourth game of the series.

Eventually, the high-pressure seesaw battle came down to the final, with both teams winning two matches each. Though India were blown away by the three South African centuries in the decider, they really showed some great fighting spirit before being humbled by the South Africans, who wrapped up the pulsating series by 3-2.

#4 Dhoni and Kohli finding their form

It was a comeback series for the beleaguered captain Dhoni, who showed glimpses of his past in second ODI, making an unbeaten 92 from 86 balls, when his team was staggering at 6-124.

With the support of the tail-enders, Dhoni anchored the rescue act, something which he has done so many times in the past, eventually posting a decent total of 247 runs, and then defended the same with some brilliant captaincy. Though he is still not at his fierce best, he showed that there still a bit more cricket left in him.

India’s batting mainstay Virat Kohli, who had been going through a lean patch after his century against Pakistan in the World Cup, silenced all his critics by scoring a fighting 77. He followed that up with a magnificent ton in the must-win game (fourth ODI).

Claiming back his favourite No. 3 spot in the 3rd ODI, it seems like Kohli is back in form and that is something relieving for the Indian cricket team fans.

#5 An all-round performance

As expected, De Villiers grabbed all the attention of the series with three tons in five matches, however, the fans would never forget the mind-blowing 150 made by Rohit Sharma in the series opener. Rohit, with his elegant stroke play and impeccable timing enthralled the crowd in the first and third ODIs although India lost both the matches by narrow margins.

Rahane’s batting position was another talking point of the series, and it seems like he is settled at No. 4, courtesy the fighting knock of 87 from 58 balls in the final battle. Raina and Dhawan too were amongst runs in the fourth and fifth ODIs respectively.

Besides carrying on with the habit of piling up centuries against India, De Kock added salt to the injuries of the Men In Blue by plucking breathtaking catches out of thin air behind the wickets. South Africa’s efforts in the field were nothing short of amazing, and it also aggravated India’s miseries.

From a bowling perspective, the precociously talented Rabada was the man for South Africa, as the Indians found it extremely difficult to cope with the pace and precision of the youngster. With Steyn and Morkel to accompany him, no wonder South Africa restricted the mighty Indian batting line-up below 300 on all occasions.

For India, the return of the old turbanator will be something to be cheered. Even in the absence of Ashwin, he bowled in tandem with Amit Mishra and Akshar Patel, refraining South Africa in the middle overs by curbing their run-rate (apart from the last ODI).

Last, but not the least the electrifying crowd supported both teams well and played their part decently. Altogether, it was an all-round performance, from the players and as well as the spectators.