Preview: South Africa vs India, 1st ODI - INDIA Tour SA

By Admin
SAvsIndia
What
The first of the three-ODI series between South Africa and India
When
Thursday, December 5, 2013. Time: 13:30 local, 11:30 GMT, 17:00 IST
Where
The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa
The Teams
India
MS Dhoni’s men have set foot in South Africa after a perfect home season in which they won all the series and tournaments they played. However, the young Team India will know well that all their home laurels will not count in the alien conditions of their touring country. The bodies will have to acclimatize the weather and the games will have to be altered according to the conditions and the wickets.
India’s tremendously in-form top-order will be up against the hosts’ fiery pace attack led by Dale Steyn, on juicy tracks, which will test their class and character. The pacers, on the other hand, after a season of toiling on the Indian wickets, will have to ensure they don’t get overwhelmed by the favourable conditions. Utilizing the bounce and movement while still maintaining control over their strengths, will be the key to their success.
South Africa
The Proteas enter the series on the back of a 1-2 defeat in the ODIs against Pakistan. The team’s process of regrouping and bouncing back will be helped by the fact that the core players – Dale Steyn, Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis – who missed parts off the last series due to injury and other reasons are back in the squad.
While Smith and Steyn’s presence will give South Africa a shot in the arm in the batting and bowling department respectively, a lot will be driving on the all-round form of Kallis, for whom the two ODIs against Pakistan marked a return to the format after a year and nine months. In his first match on return he scored 50 and picked two wickets.
Key Players
India
This tour will be an immense opportunity for the young Indian fast bowlers to thrive in helpful conditions and add a new dimension to their bowling. While the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Mohit Sharma have a chance to establish themselves at the top-notch cricket, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav cannot ask for better conditions to bring their India careers back on track.
South Africa
Thanks to his IPL exploits, AB de Villiers knows more than a thing or two about the Indians – the bowling, the strategizing et all. Given his versatility and the incredible skill to pull off the most audacious of shots, de Villiers is one man who can mess with the Indian bowlers’ confidence and plans. In the middle-order, he can take the spinners apart on tracks that won’t have much for the tweakers.
Statistics
India- South Africa in ODIs
 
Mts
Ind
SA
NR
in South Africa
25
5
19
1
in India
23
13
10
0
at neutral places
19
7
11
1
Total
67
25
40
2
India – South Africa ODIs in South Africa
 
Mts
Ind
SA
NR
in bilateral contests
16
4
12
0
in multinational tournaments
9
1
7
1
Total
25
5
19
1
India-South Africa ODIs in South Africa – Vital Stats
Highest total
India:  279/5, Johannesburg, 2001   
South Africa: 282/9, Durban, 2011
Lowest total
India:   91, Durban, 2006
South Africa: 189, Johannesburg, 2011
Highest individual score
India:  127, Sourav Ganguly, Johannesburg, 2001
South Africa: 133*, Gary Kirsten, Johannesburg, 2001
Best bowling
India:   4/29, Munaf Patel, Johannesburg, 2011
South Africa:  5/32, Hansie Cronje, Cape Town, 1992
Trivia
A 3-0 series-win will make MS Dhoni India’s most successful captain in ODIs with 91 wins. He will go past Mohammad Azharuddin’s tally of 88 wins.
MS Dhoni is just 26 runs behind Mohammad Azharuddin’s tally of 5239 runs as Indian captain. He will become the highest run-scoring Indian captain in ODIs.
A series win will give India their seventh consecutive series-win in ODIs- their best ever winning streak in ODIs.
The Squads
India: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma.
South Africa: AB de Villiers (cap), Hashim Amla, Greame Smith, Jacques Kallis, Henry Davids, Quinton de Kock (wk), JP Duminy, David Miller,  Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Ryan McLaren, Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Vernon Philander, Imran Tahir.

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