Paarl, First Published Jan 20, 2022, 11:46 AM IST
Pearl: In the first ODI against South Africa (South Africa vs India 1st ODI) Team India lost by 31 runs. The loss was due to the Indian bowlers failing to do much with the batting failure of the middle order. KL Rahul, who captained India for the first time in ODIs, was flawed in his tactics. Former Indian commentator Gautam Gambhir has reacted to this.
‘Gambhir expects more aggressive captain Rahul, even as he credits Themba Bauma for favoring South Africa in the match. ‘Indian bowlers do not seem to be bad. Sometimes the batsman also has to give credit. Themba Bauma is in excellent form. The player who played the best in the Test series continues to do so in ODIs.
But the attacking fielding arrangement is expected from KL Rahul. After Aiden Markram was sent off, Yusvendra Chahal was expected to field on slips, gully and gully points. Ashwin needs leg slip and short leg when bowling. The bowler bowls only according to the field setting.
Credit cannot be taken from Bauma. He performed well in the anchor role in the batting line-up. Quinton Decock, Aidan Markram, Van der Dawson and David Miller all believe in the power game. So a batsman needs to balance the batting line in the anchor role. Gambhir added, “Bamoo did that role well.”
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first, scoring 296 for four in 50 overs. Skipper Themba Bauma (110 off 143 balls) and Van der Dawson (129 off 96 balls) scored centuries. In reply, India scored 265 for 8. Shikhar Dhawan (79) and Virat Kohli (51) were the standouts but the middle-order lost. Shardul Thakur, who scored 50 not out at the tail end, reduced the deficit.
SA vs IND: India start with defeat, South Africa win by 31 runs
Last Updated Jan 20, 2022, 11:50 AM IST
.
