New Delhi: India amended some of its selection mistakes and made South Africa wait in the latter’s fight to secure automatic ODI World Cup qualification by leveling the ongoing 3-match series 1-1 at JSCA Stadium in Ranchi Sunday.
South Africa looked to take an unassailable 2-0 lead by setting a steep target in excess of 300, but India pulled the South Africa lower middle order back in the death overs, before chasing down the target of 279 by 7 wickets with 25 balls to spare.
The win takes India up to fifth place in the 13-team ICC Cricket World Cup Super League standings with 119 points from 17 matches, although India have already secured direct qualification to next year’s ODI World Cup as hosts.
South Africa, meanwhile, remain languishing in 11th place with 59 points from 15 matches, needing to win at least 3 more matches out of a remaining 9 to overtake West Indies, who occupy the eighth and final direct qualification place in the table.
ThePrint takes a look at some key talking points from India’s win at Ranchi.
1. Iyer scores run-a-ball second ODI hundred
On a pitch that was drier and more batting-friendly than Lucknow’s on Thursday, middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer gave a much better account of himself against the Proteas bowling attack, despite the fact that he had to come out to bat in the ninth over of the innings. Barring a length ball outside off from express pacer Anrich Nortje early on, Iyer looked comfortable throughout the innings. He got himself going with boundaries against both Nortje and Wayne Parnell early on before showing his superlative abilities against the opponents’ spin trio, steering the Indian chase without needing to hit a six.
2. Kishan smacks seven sixes in supporting role
While Iyer racked up the player of the match plaudits for getting the century milestone, it was his 161-run partnership with young wicketkeeper batsman Ishan Kishan that was essential to India’s resounding victory. If Iyer’s century was marked by stylish strokemaking with a penchant for boundaries over cover, Ishan primarily threw the “Kishan sink” by walloping six after six over deep midwicket. He took a liking to the matchups offered by stand-in South Africa captain Keshav Maharaj’s left-arm spin in particular, as he accelerated by hitting three sixes off Maharaj in the 19th and 21st overs. An ideal complement to the Iyer knock.
3. Siraj stands out to stutter South Africa in death overs
When middle-order batsman Heinrich Klaasen skied a Kuldeep Yadav delivery to be out caught at a score of 30, South Africa were 215-4 from 38 overs and looked well on their way to a score in excess of 300. However, they only managed to score 57 runs off the last 10 overs and lost 2 wickets, in large part due to the efforts of pacer Mohammad Siraj, who was the pick of the Indian bowlers with 3 wickets for 38 runs in his spell. Siraj is known for a relatively higher economy rate in the longest and shortest formats of cricket due to his propensity to bowl too full or too short. But at Ranchi, he kept things tight and simple by repeatedly bowling length balls into the pitch and giving lower middle order batters David Miller, Wayne Parnell and Keshav Maharaj nothing to work with.
4. Reeza Hendricks seamlessly slips back into top form
In light of captain Temba Bavuma’s rustiness and subsequent illness suffered on Sunday, South Africa’s most impressive performer in T20 internationals in the last two years — Reeza Hendricks — filled the open slot and once again made his case for a starting position at next month’s T20 World Cup. Now aged 33, having first made his mark at the 2008 U-19 World Cup, Hendricks has spent his entire professional career making sporadic appearances in the South African senior side. But on Sunday, he batted as if he were a seasoned ODI spin specialist, putting Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and debutant Shahbaz Ahmed to the sword in a highlight reel-heavy half century.
5. We need to talk about Shikhar Dhawan
While most of India’s ODIs during the Super League cycle have been encouraging as a test of India’s bench strength and squad options for next year’s World Cup, the sun appears to be slowly setting on one stalwart of the 50-over game — Shikhar Dhawan. While the Delhi-born opener has developed a reputation for his performances in ICC tournaments, particularly in ODIs, he may face the chopping block when the final squads are picked for next year’s edition. The reason? His declining strike rate, which is over 90 across his career but a lowly 74 from 15 matches played this calendar year. With his place guaranteed for at least one more match this series in Delhi on Tuesday as well as a Super League tour of New Zealand next month, Dhawan will need to turn around his fortunes soon.
6. A solid debut for allrounder Shahbaz Ahmed
He may not offer the discipline, guile or unique trajectory of an Axar Patel, but batting allrounder Shahbaz Ahmed enjoyed a far better debut on Sunday than the likes of Ravi Bishnoi and Ruturaj Gaikwad faced in the first ODI. Among the unexpected, under-the-radar squad selections India had made for the series, Shahbaz boasts an impressive List A batting average of over 47 but his bowling average is also over 40, reflecting his largely part timer role for his domestic side — Bengal. However, captain Dhawan entrusted him with the new ball from the fourth over of the first innings and he showed the kind of control you’d expect from a specialist spinner, trapping Janneman Malan in front to secure his first ever international wicket.
7. India fix some tactical errors from the 1st ODI
With the selection of Shahbaz Ahmed and Washington Sundar ahead of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravi Bishnoi on Sunday, India corrected some wrongs that had been made for the first ODI in Lucknow on Sunday. In doing so, India prioritised those who either had been performing to a high standard in List A cricket for a longer period of time, or those who offered a more all-round role to the team and made the batting lineup deeper. Gaikwad averages over 50 in List A cricket and strikes at 130 in the IPL but hasn’t yet hit the ground running internationally and will probably need to be backed at some point in the future, but Bishnoi never had international-level performances at List A level. Similarly, India’s shallow batting was exposed in Lucknow with Shardul Thakur coming to the crease at 5 wickets down, a spot that would now be occupied by Shahbaz Ahmed, even though Iyer and Kishan ensured that the lower order’s services wouldn’t be required.
Also read: South Africa expose second-string India in 9-run win — 8 takeaways from 1st ODI