It was a Sunday that offered a reality check for the Indian team, but that’s no reason to raise the fire alarm. The contest against South Africa was bound to be tough, especially on a Perth surface, a traditional ally for speedsters, be it at the old WACA or the current Optus Stadium.
Having won the first two fixtures in the current ICC Twenty20 World Cup, India was the form-team, but some old chinks bubbled over during a cold night in which South Africa prevailed by five wickets. India’s top-order hasn’t fired in unison for a while. Virat Kohli may have regained his form, but it has coincided with the lack of runs from K.L. Rahul, while skipper Rohit Sharma hasn’t batted with his usual zest even if the odd fifty is struck.
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Batting failure
With Lungi Ngidi hitting the straps and garnering bounce and the other pacers rallying around him, the Men in Blue had a task on hand. Rahul was tentative even if a six was hoisted while Rohit and Kohli played their horizontal shots and skied catches. Suryakumar Yadav shored up the middle-order with his salvage-run-plunder routine. Easy for him but not for the others. Deepak Hooda failed, Hardik Pandya, who batted well against Pakistan, succumbed here. With a watchful Dinesh Karthik doing the hard yards and then frittering it away, a heavy burden was placed on Suryakumar.
India’s 133 for nine wasn’t going to exert scoreboard-pressure until the bowlers and fielders were at the top of their game. Arshdeep Singh’s twin-strikes offered hope, but it was all about one good partnership whittling down the runs. And it happened with Aiden Markram and David Miller prospering together. But what perhaps undid India were those little moments when frozen hands failed to either hold on or release the white ball on time. Kohli dropping a catch is a rare spectacle, but he did, and Rohit, never athletic, fluffed a run-out. In a contest defined by tiny margins, all these hurt India.
India’s fielding lapses cost it dearly against South Africa | Photo Credit: Getty Images
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Shami proves his worth
India has always been a side hovering between the safe and efficient modes of fielding while electric reflexes remained the preserve of Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. The latter was missed on the turf, while on Sunday, errors on the outfield and inner-circle meant that South Africa could breathe easy. Still some credit is due to the Indian unit, the match was taken into the last over and spare a thought for the excellence of Mohammed Shami. His combined spell of 4-0-13-1 again reiterated his value to the squad.
During the 2011 50-over World Cup, India lost to South Africa but still managed to last the distance. It remains to be seen if a similar second-wind can be gleaned from a reluctant Australian summer with its nippy air. India will take on Bangladesh at Adelaide on Wednesday, but before that, plans have to be reworked, and the question over Karthik’s fitness addressed. The odd loss in a campaign is par for the course, and Rohit’s men should put this defeat behind them.
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