Under a Cloud

Gaurav Kanthwal
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, March 11

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On September 15, 2019, the first T20I between India and South Africa here was abandoned without a ball being bowled. The possibility of a repeat tomorrow is high, with heavy rain lashing the venue on the eve of the match. Weather-tracking websites predict 80 percent chances of rain on match day, while the weatherman has predicted widespread rain and thundershowers between March 12 and 13.

From India’s point of view, the first ODI of the three-match series is significant as three players — opener Shikhar Dhawan, seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and allrounder Hardik Pandya — are making a comeback in the team after recovering from their injuries. Bhuvneshwar is coming back after an operation for sports hernia, Pandya from a back injury and Dhawan from a fractured left thumb and a shoulder injury. In the run-up to the series, all of them played a domestic T20 tournament in Mumbai recently but the last time the trio played in an ODI together was against Australia in the World Cup in the UK last year.

Thrashing by Kiwis

More importantly, Virat Kohli and Co. would like to the bury the ghosts of a 3-0 bashing in New Zealand as soon as possible, even though ODIs may not have much significance for the Indian captain in the year of the T20 World Cup. In fact, Kohli today did not come to the venue for training.

Prithvi Shaw is likely to open with Dhawan in the absence of vice-captain Rohit Sharma, who had to cut short his tour of New Zealand due to a calf injury. Both Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja could find a place in the playing XI along with Yuzvendra Chahal, who has a good record against the Proteas.

Allround Quinton

For South Africa, Quinton de Kock will be performing the triple role of captaining, opening and wicketkeeping for his team. His average of 60-plus against India in away matches makes him all the more indispensable for the team. Faf du Plessis’s experience of the Indian conditions and Heinrich Klaasen’s red-hot form in Australia’s recent 3-0 ODI whitewash make them marked men. Where South Africa will find themselves short of resources will be in their bowling department, where pacer Lungi Ngidi would hold the aces. Chinaman Keshav Maharaj is their best bet in the spin department.

“We understand that we are coming here with quite an inexperienced side in these conditions, but it’s important Faf, me, David Miller to help out these guys around, lead the way, pass on our knowledge to the youngsters,” said Quinton de Kock.

In the past, the team fielding first after winning the toss won three out of four matches at this venue.

3 India come into the match having lost three ODIs in row, while South Africa have won their last three matches

60.3 Quinton de Kock’s ODI average against India. It is the second-best average for an opener against India with 500 runs or more. He has scored 784 in 13 matches, with five hundreds and one fifty

20 Wickets Yuzvendra Chahal has taken against South Africa in seven matches. It is the most for him against any opposition. His average against South Africa is 15.65