India vs South Africa, 2020: 3-match ODI series – Statistical Preview

The Indian team is set to host South Africa in a 3-match ODI series coming from the New Zealand tour where they lost every game in the ODI and Test formats. They continue to miss the services of the star batsman Rohit Sharma but the senior players inform of Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar make a return. On the other hand, South Africa is touring India after whitewashing Australia at home in a 3-match ODI series; the only thing that the Proteas won since the ODI World Cup. South Africa is further boosted by the inclusion of Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen.

All the key stats and numbers ahead of the 3-match ODI series between India and South Africa:

1 – Jasprit Bumrah has picked up only one wicket across the six ODI matches he played in 2020. Adam Zampa’s wicket during the home series against Australia is Bumrah’s lone ODI wicket since his comeback. The speedster bowled 56.1 in ODI format thus far conceding 287 runs at an economy of 5.10.

3 – India has lost an ODI series/tournament on Indian soil only three times since the start of 2010 – 1-2 against Pakistan in 2012/13, 2-3 against South Africa and Australia respectively in 2015 and 2019.

5* – India has lost each of their last 5 matches in International cricket spread across ODI and Test series defeats in New Zealand. The last instance of India losing more than five consecutive matches in International cricket was during 2002/03 season where they recorded a 7-match losing streak. India lost the ODI series decider at home against West Indies and followed with six defeats in the first six matches on New Zealand tour.

7-1 – India has been victorious in seven of the eight ODI matches they played against South Africa since the start of 2017. South Africa’s lone ODI win against India in this period came during the famous Pink jersey match in Johannesburg which they clinched by 5 wickets by chasing a DLS revised target. However, South Africa won five out of their last seven ODI matches against India in India.

22 – Virat Kohli has spent 22 consecutive innings in International Cricket since scoring a hundred in the day/night Test against Bangladesh in November. Only twice Kohli (25 in 2014 and 24 in 2011) spent more successive innings without a century in Internationals. Virat also failed to reach 20 runs in each of his last six International innings; his joint-longest streak of sub-20 scores for India.

38 – Yuzvendra Chahal (20) and Kuldeep Yadav (18) collectively picked up 38 wickets across 7 ODI matches against South Africa. Chahal claimed two 4-fers and a 5-wicket haul while Kuldeep has two 4-wicket hauls against the Proteas.

60.3 – Quinton de Kock’s batting average of 60.3 in ODI cricket against India is his 2nd highest against any opponent whom he faced more than once. De Kock scored 784 runs across 13 ODI innings against India with five hundreds and a fifty; the only opposition against which he struck more than four ODI tons.

259 – Faf du Plessis has not featured in an ODI match since the completion of the last year’s World Cup. However, in the last three innings during that tournament, Faf recorded scores of 100, 96* and 63.

1287 – Virat Kohli has amassed 1287 runs in ODI cricket against South Africa thus far across 25 innings. He struck four tons and six fifties against the Proteas at an average of 64.35; the highest average for any player with 500+ runs in India-South Africa ODIs.