In the first 21 days of the year 2022, India have been outplayed by South Africa in Test and ODI series, have lost their grip on the No 1 spot in the longest format ― for the second time in as many years ― while also losing the fourth straight ODI series playing away from home.
While the broader list is longer given that they have also lost the best man in the form of Virat Kohli to lead them across formats and one of their best coaching staffs finishing with their stints, South Africa have added further misery by stretching India’s their losing streak to four matches on the ongoing tour.
But it is one thing to be outplayed in overseas conditions against a formidable opponent and it is another to be beaten thoroughly by a side that is on the mend and when the conditions and pitch remind the visiting team of the favours they experience while playing at home.
The weather and pitch in Paarl on Friday resembled everything that the Indians experience at home but their performance left a lot to be desired.
On a very hot day, the pitch at the Boland Park was conducive for spin bowlers yet one the world's best spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin returned wicketless with 68 runs plundered from his 10 overs in the second match of his comeback series. In the two ODIs, Ashwin has given away 121 runs from 20 overs (120 balls) with just one wicket is his kitty.
The defeat on Friday had no new elements of surprise. India's batsmen once again failed to put out a collective performance and bowlers looked jaded and clueless on how to bowl on the surface which was low and slow and offering them.
India lost their big guns early as Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli could manage only 29 between them, but yet the visitors managed to put on a strong 287/6 thanks to a brilliant 85 from Rishabh Pant, 55 from their captain KL Rahul and a sparkly 40 not out from 38 balls with 3 boundaries and a six by bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur.
Pant survived a horrendous mixup which would have left India reeling early on but thanks to a comical effort from South African fielders, the Indian wicketkeeper and his captain survived a chance which had both of them at the same end at one stage.
But as it has been the case with the swashbuckling batsman, Pant played one shot too many and missed out not only a deserving century but an opportunity to rake up a high score.
India had done well in the first half of the game to recover from early blows and their bowlers were required to step up and do a better job than they did in the first ODI. However, India's bowling looked more listless and uninspired than in the first game on Wednesday, with South Africa sauntering to a comfortable 7-wicket victory once again.
For the third time in four matches that South Africa have beaten India in this tour, the hosts recorded a similar margin of victory by 7 wickets, having done so earlier in the Test series in the second and third match at Johannesburg and Cape Town respectively.
Indian bowlers were plundered for plenty of runs by the opening pair of the home team, with Janneman Malan and Quinton de Kock adding 132 runs to set the Proteas side on track for a big chase. It was the brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah which denied Malan a century, with the right-hander falling for 91 from 108 balls with 8 fours and 1 six. De Kock found rhythm with the bat after his struggles in the opening ODI, adopting an aggressive approach right from the beginning to push the Indian side into submission. The Protea wicketkeeper-batsman scored 78 from 66 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes.
Each of the South African batsmen who came out to bat on Friday made significant contributions as they prevailed comfortably with 7 wickets and 11 balls to spare to record an impressive series victory against the world No 4 ODI side. While South Africa captain Temba Bavuma made 35, the likes of Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen both finished at 37 not out when the winning runs were scored.
The challenge for India on Friday was to not only put a strong total on board but also show that their young guns have the right skills and temperament to deal with adverse situations like the one encountered in the second match. The former India captain Kohli fell for a five-ball duck while Dhawan, who has been very consistent in ODI cricket, could manage only 29.
Kohli and Dhawan perished against South Africa’s spin bowlers, who produced a fine example of control and discipline which was expected from the Indians. Aiden Markram accounted for Dhawan while Kohli was removed by Keshav Maharaj, once again caught by Bavuma inside the circle.
Pant fell to Tabraiz Shamsi when he was looking to clear the boundary whereas Rahul was dismissed by comeback South Africa bowler Sisanda Magala.
Devarchit Varma is a cricket writer and journalist with an experience of more than a decade, having worked at Hindustan Times (newspaper) and CricketCountry (website). Along with covering international and domestic cricket, he has also interviewed several current and former top players such as Rohit Sharma, Steve Smith, Dale Steyn, Michael Hussey, Jacques Kallis, Brendon McCullum, Shane Watson, Lasith Malinga and many more. He has also worked in other beats as a journalist in Bollywood (Reliance BigOye) and IT (SiliconIndia) industries.
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