India look to salvage some pride

3rd ODI: MS Dhoni's team will hope to pull one back at Centurion on Wednesday.

EYES WIDE SHUT: Rohit Sharma has struggled to put bat on ball this series.

CENTURION: If one were to measure India’s improvement from the first ODI at Johannesburg to the second ODI at Durban, one wouldn’t run out of fingers. Considering that they lost at the Bull Ring by 141 runs and at Kingsmead by 134 runs, the margin of progress for MS Dhoni’s side can safely be pegged at seven runs – not much of an advancement for the star-studded No.1 ODI team in the world, who are assured of holding their top-spot even if they are routed 0-3 in the series.

Going into the truncated series against South Africa, India were expected to put up a much better show in the limited-overs format – an expectation that was immolated when they were singed by Dale Steyn’s fiery pace in the tour opener. Even more surprising than the transformation of India’s super bats into walking wickets was the inability of their bowlers to harness the conditions. India’s fielding too, in the last two games, has not been up to the mark. This means that the current set – at least on the current tour – can be rightly described, in the apocryphal words of an English reporter, as one that ‘can’t bat, can’t bowl and can’t field’.

Phrases such as ‘redemption’ and ‘fightback’ have already started doing the rounds ahead of the third and last ODI, to be played at Centurion on Wednesday. But are Dhoni’s men capable of surmounting the conditions and pulling one back, if only for the sake of morale heading into the two-Test series? On evidence, it certainly won’t be for want of trying (new combinations).



One poor show was all it took for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohit Sharma to be shown the door. Their replacements for the second ODI, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav fared marginally better, even though Umesh was caned for 20 in the last over of the South African innings. That India held the hosts to a sub-300 total after the massive opening stand between centurions Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock spoke more of the nature of the surface – sluggish, not conducive to shot-making – less of the skill of India’s bowlers.

While South Africa’s openers have added 152 and 194 in two matches, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have looked inept against the moving ball, and combined for grand totals of 14 and 10. Virat Kohli is having a rare poor series, and the Nos.4 and 5 (Yuvraj Singh/Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina) are ensuring that all pre-event fears of Indians being bunnies to sheer pace are coming true with great rapidity.

Five-pronged pace

What a dwindling top-order has ascertained is that by the time the likes of Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and R. Ashwin (arguably the most ‘correct’ batsman on display) have walked in, the situation is beyond redress. Not that South Africa, having chosen to play without a dedicated spinner, have relented their five-pronged pace attack for even a bit.

India and South Africa are locked 2-2 in ODIs at Centurion, with the hosts winning the last game to be played here between the sides, in January 2011. There is some hope for India as the Proteas think-tank may rest Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn for the last ODI, preserving them for the Test series ahead. But it is doubtful if that will amount to a let-up in pace, with Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Ryan McLaren possessing more than enough pace and movement for the Indian batsmen.

The teams (from), India: MS Dhoni (Capt.), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Ambati Rayudu, Ajinkya Rahane; South Africa: AB de Villiers (Capt.), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Jacques Kallis, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Vernon Philander, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.