5 reasons why South Africa will make India toil hard in the ODIs

5 reasons why South Africa will make India toil hard in the ODIs: The most awaited bilateral series of the year has seen first of its three phases and the results have been quite contrary to general expectations. South Africa have ensured all those who said they have a bad T20I record against India, are finding places to hide. The Proteas by virtue of the third game being washed out won the 3 match series 2-0. India has plenty of introspection to do and need to take a hard look at their future plans. While the first match went down to the wire, Cuttack witnessed some sorry Indian batting. All that, though is history and the hosts need to look forward to the 5 one dayers.

Beating India at home is no mean task and for the first time perhaps in the last 10 years, they won’t be outright favorites going into a home series.

Here we present to you

5 reasons why South Africa will make India toil hard in the ODIs

1. The morale is low after the T20Is

Howsoever hard you try emphasizing that anything can happen in T20Is and India lost both games in a matter of few overs, the fact is such a performance is not worthy of the men in blue. They should have won the first game after making those many runs and didn’t know what hit them at Cuttack. South Africa have made sure they create serious doubts in the batsmen’s mind ahead of the ODIs. It is not easy to rise from such a low and if the visitors take an early lead in the ODIs as well, India will find it hard to stage a return. Despite not having their top bowlers in the T20Is, the Proteas kept India on the mat and the 50 over games are going to be even tougher.

2. The batting order is not sorted

With MS Dhoni making his intentions clear of no longer playing the finisher’s role, the whole scenario changes. ODIs are a substantially longer version than the shortest format and batsmen need to know what is expected of them. Ajinkya Rahane, who was made to sit out of both the T20Is will in all likelihood return at number 4 after having performed well in India’s last ODI series against Zimbabwe which leaves Dhoni at number 5. This is not something India have tried in the past which leaves an element of uncertainty. Suresh Raina will then have to play at six, quite opposite to his desire of batting in the top 4. The Proteas would like to capitalize on this conundrum and cash in on the indecision.

3. Amla and de Villiers factor

They are two of the most prolific batsmen in World cricket at the moment. Hashim Amla, ranked number 2 in the ICC ODI rankings is blessed with sublime timing and great hands which make him equally good against pace and spin. De Villiers, on the other hand, is the most accomplished all-round batsman and has the ability to take any bowling attack to the cleaners. They have quite a bit of experience of playing in India and will guide the younger South African players well.

Considering the flat Indian decks, the duo can be expected to pile up huge runs and take advantage of the loopholes in Indian bowling.

4. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel return

It doesn’t get any easier for India with Steyn and Morkel set to return. With their two best bowlers back in the mix after being rested from the T20Is, the Proteas will pose an even stiffer challenge to India, who are still finding their mojo with the bat. If the new ball pair can dent India early, it will put a lot of pressure on the middle order. The visitors are too strong a team to let an advantage slip easily and with promising talents like Rabada coming through the ranks, will be confident of thrashing India’s comeback plans. While Morkel gets the awkward bounce from a good length, Steyn is equally potent with the new and old cherry.

5. Imran Tahir and Duminy– The Spin Combo

Sachin Tendulkar said before the series began that India need to watch out for Imran Tahir on the helpful Indian tracks. And he may well be right. Tahir is a fantastic bowler in ODIs and has the ability to pick wickets in a bunch. The venues of the ODI series will provide plenty of assistance to the tweakers and Tahir has all the skill to exploit that. India’s recent record against visiting spinners hasn’t been impressive off late and, therefore, they can’t take JP Duminy lightly. If they do, it will prove that they have learnt nothing after being made to look novices by Moeen Ali not long ago.