Why India look favourites to beat South Africa 6-0 in the ODI series

India hammered South Africa by 9 wickets in Centurion on Sunday, February 4, finishing off the game in just over 50 overs to take a 2-0 lead in the six-match One-Day International (ODI) series. The visitors spun out the hosts for a paltry 118, their lowest score at home, exposing yet again the latter’s vulnerability against spinners. It is only the second time in 25 years that India have defeated South Africa in two consecutive games in their den, the last being in the 2010-11 series which India lost 2-3.

But 2018 looks more promising than any of the series that Team India has played in South Africa since 1992. In fact, after observing the way they have beaten the Proteas in the first two games of the series, one would be disappointed if Virat Kohli’s men do not grab the series 6-0.

India look a far more balanced side

To elaborate on what makes India look firm favourites to win the series convincingly, the visitors are in a far better position as far as the balance of the side is concerned. They have the fast bowlers, lethal spinners and in-form batsmen led by captain Kohli who can turn matches in their team’s favour with ease.

South Africa, on the other hand, clearly lack the firepower even though they are playing at home. They have been seriously hurt by the injuries to AB de Villiers who has been ruled out of the first three games and skipper Faf du Plessis, who will sit out for the entire series after hitting a century in the first game. These are the two biggest pillars of the South African batting at the moment and their absence reduces their team’s strength by far.

Indian spinners are on a roll

The second reason why one feels that India’s series victory could be uninterrupted is their spinners’ performance. In the first game played in Durban, the spinner trio of Yuzvendra Chahal-Kuldeep Yadav-Kedar Jadhav took five wickets for 98 runs in 23 overs. In Centurion, the three took eight wickets for 53 runs in 18 overs.

South Africa’s new captain Aiden Markram might say after the 9-wicket thumping that his team’s failure against spin was not yet a “massive danger” but the truth is that the hosts were clueless about the wrist-spinners’ whereabouts. South African spinners, led by the experienced Imran Tahir, have completely failed to check the Indian batsmen. Tahir himself is yet to pick a wicket and this has made the difference huge.

SA made a mistake by not picking up Ngidi

They also made a mess with their team selection by not including Lungi Ngidi – the hero of the Test series. His addition would have definitely played in the minds of the Indian batsmen. The Proteas depend too much on the Mornie Morkel-Kagiso Rabada pair and have no good backup bowlers, which eventually makes a decent score like 269 look ordinary. Gone are the days of the Allan Donalds and Shaun Pollocks. Indeed.

South Africa’s reserve is uninspiring

This series also appears to be going India’s way because there are not many South African names there that give hope for a splendid comeback. This author had argued in another article that the supply line of new talents in South African cricket is getting clogged because of various key factors: quota, weakening the currency and Kolpak deals.

The exit and absence of players like Kyle Abbott, Rilee Rossouw and Wayne Parnell who have done well in the recent past against teams like Australia and Sri Lanka have created a vacuum in South African cricket which they are finding too difficult to fill in the series against India. The injuries to de Villiers and du Plessis and absence of worthy replacements and the lack of form of players like Hashim Amla and Tahir have left them in the ruins all the more.

In addition, Quinton de Kock, perhaps one of the better batsmen in the South African side has been out of sorts with the bat. In addition, he is now ruled-out of the series as well courtesy of a wrist injury, something he has been carrying for a while.

South Africa’s weakest bowling attack

Even though there are some promising bowlers in this South African side, yet it is the worst ever bowling attack that the Proteas have unleashed against India in a home series. Just imagine the likes of Donald, Pollock, Brian McMillian, Lance Klusener hunting in packs with flash in the pan performances from one Rabada or Phehlukwayo or Morkel. There is not enough coordination in this South African attack that can unsettle a robust Indian batting line-up. SA are surely missing their lost bowlers.

The captaincy factor

Finally, the captaincy factor. While India have a rocking captain in Kohli who is doing well with both his brain and bat, South Africa lost their regular captain du Plessis to injury and his 24-year-old successor Markram now has the mammoth responsibility of redeeming the pride. This is a perfect set-up for the South Africans to lose the plot and Markram’s do-or-die battle would be to save his team the humiliation of losing both series and face. Just one-match-old Markram was picked as a replacement for de Villiers in the current squad and was subsequently made the captain with du Plessis’s exit. It is a gamble that might backfire big time for the Proteas.

Markram would have to play an innings of his life to revive his team’s fallen shoulders but he could not rise to the occasion in his debut match as the captain. Kohli, on the other hand, made an emphatic statement in the first game of the series with a magnificent century and also remained not out in the second game, asserting his batting momentum.

South Africa would have to burn a lot of midnight oil to discover the way to get out of the hole now. A depleted side with the captain ruled out; batsmen surrendering against quality spin and the bowlers looking out of sync as a unit – South Africa look destined to witness their ugliest series result at home.