India-South Africa ODIs: 5 things to keep in mind

The beauty of live sport is that it does not follow scripts. You can prepare all you want, plan for every eventuality and then find that things are quite different when you step out on the park and it is bat versus ball. India had a few reality checks when they played South Africa in the first of three One-Day Internationals at Boland Park in Paarl. Here are some things they might keep in mind when they rejoin battle in the second ODI today.

KL Rahul at the helm
It’s far too early to judge what sort of leader Rahul may be. But, what we do know is that his style, and indeed his persona, is very unlike Virat Kohli. Rahul is laid-back to the point of appearing dozy, but he is just as switched on as anyone else. How the players will react and respond to this brand of captaincy is something only time will tell. The fact remains, however, that Rahul will have to take charge of his men very quickly. Honeymoon periods in Indian cricket are notoriously short.

The right combination

When India handed Venkatesh Iyer an ODI debut, it was widely assumed that his bowling played a part in this. A tidy seam up operator, Venkatesh was not called upon to bowl a single over on a Paarl pitch that was somewhere between sluggish and flat. If he wasn’t going to bowl, Venkatesh was probably not the ideal choice ahead of Suryakumar Yadav. Andile Phehlukwayo, a dibbly-dobbly seamer did well on the same surface. Perhaps this might give Venkatesh a second game, this time with a bigger role as a bowler.

The other Rahul

With the move away from Ravi Shastri, and subsequently Kohli, India’s team management has lost two very emphatic personalities. Both former coach and captain were outspoken, never mincing words about how good their team was or about how the opposition played the game. Rahul Dravid is far more reserved. He will have things to say within the four walls of the dressing-room — make no mistake about this — but publicly, you can already see a change in how the team communicates. This could affect perception of the team. Is this something the team cares about? It’s certainly something they should think about.

The spin effect
For the longest time Ravichandran Ashwin was kept out of the mix in white-ball cricket. There is little doubt that he is India’s premier spinner, without quibbling about the finger or wrist variety. But, even he will take some time to ease back into his role in 50-over cricket. Playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and in domestic cricket is one thing, but to deliver the goods consistently at the international level is another. India need Ashwin to be effective in the middle-overs of ODIs if they are to do well. Especially when they are playing at home, or on pitches such as the one in Paarl where you cannot bank on fast bowlers to run through the top-order with the new ball.

The Jadeja balancing act
In limited-overs cricket, Ravindra Jadeja should be the first name on the Indian team sheet irrespective of conditions, occasion or opposition. Jadeja brings so much to the game with his skills, but above that he allows the team to maintain balance. You can play the extra batsman or bowler of any kind just knowing he is around. At the moment the team is definitely missing Jadeja. But, injuries and absence are a part of modern sport. How the team overcomes Jadeja’s absence will be critical to their overall success.