5 Ways in which Indian batsmen can get past Steyn and Co.

5 Ways in which Indian batsmen can get past Steyn and Co: South Africa couldn’t have asked for a better start to their 72-day tour of India. With two convincing wins on a trot, the visitors swept the T20I series before India could hit back. The likes of Duminy and De Villiers are in top form, while the middle order is firing through all cylinder. India will have their task cut out, but more importantly its India’s batting which needs to click in the shorter format.

Having won just 26 off 71 matches against the Proteas, India will look to bank on their strength. The larger picture clearly states that the Indian line up was clueless against the likes of Abbott, Rabada, Tahir and Albie. The addition of Steyn and Morne doesn’t makes matters easy for the host. India will look to pack a punch in the upcoming One Day series, but first they need to weather the storm.

1.The framed batting line up:

With in-form Rohit and Dhawan, India must look to capitalize on the start. Both the openers are known for crafting the innings. Kohli at 3, sounds good to the ears but India are in a spot of bother for no. 4. Rahane must bat up the order to set the platform for the remaining stock of overs. Raina at 5 can find the gaps easily, while Dhoni can provide the finishing touch at the death. With India set to play on batting friendly wickets, it will be important for the side batting first to put up a good total.

2. Rotate the strike:

There is no secret to consistency, but if the young brigade can take a leaf out of Virat Kohli’s book. Every typical Virat innings consists of lots of ones and twos. There will be a period when the boundaries will dry up and that is when rotating strikes and finding the odd boundary will be crucial. India need to shift quickly to the ODI mode, and bank on rotating the strike to put a big score on the board.

3. Spending time at the crease:

Wheather you are chasing a 300 plus total or batting first, the openers must look to see off the new ball. Both Rohit and Dhawan are natural stroke makers, hence it is important to curb the instinct to a certain extent and go for the bad balls early on. On their day, both can notch up quick runs, hence it is important to settle down at the crease before going for the big ones. If both the openers can get a look in during the initial overs then lifting the run rate won’t be an issue.

4. Cracking the spin code:

Sachin Tendulkar had warned India from not taking Tahir lightly. The South African spinner is in sublime form and thanks to his IPL experience, Tahir will look to exploit the conditions. Indian bowling will rely on spin and the wickets may well turn out to be spinner friendly and therefore the “Tahir factor” will be crucial. India got a dose of their own medicine at Cuttack and hence the hosts will look to find an answer against the spinner and not get into a shell.

With the likes of Kohli, Rahane, Raina and Dhoni in the middle order, India just need to keep things simple. Tahir is known to be an expensive bowler who ends up picking a piece of 3 and therefore India will look to counter him in a sorted manner. JP Duminy is another bowler who can roll his arm during the middle overs to check the run flow, and hence it will be crucial on India’s part not to take the duo lightly.

5. The death overs dilemma:

Dhoni doesn’t look to be in his usual self and that is not a good news for India. The hosts will need the likes of Raina and Dhoni to fire in the slog overs. Both the right hander’s are known for their finishing touch and hence India will need the duo to be at their best while facing the likes of Steyn and Morkel in the last 10 overs. South Africa are well known for leaking runs during the slog overs. Hence, India will bank on their fire-power to guide the team to good total.

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