DURBAN: Galvanised by means of the consolatory win in the final Test, a resurgent India will probably be aiming for his or her first bilateral ODI series triumph at the South African soil when they take at the Proteas in a six-match rubber, starting on Thursday.
ALSO READ: AB de Villiers to pass over first three ODIs
With handiest 14 months to head for the 2019 ODI World Cup, India may also glance to kick off their preparations in earnest during the series.
India have a long limited-overs' agenda till their next huge Test project this 12 months.
They play six ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals right here, a T20I tri-series in Sri Lanka and then three ODIs and three T20Is in England and Ireland, with the 2018 IPL season thrown in, earlier than the five-Test series in England later in August.
Such a definitive run of limited-overs' cricket, especially in in another country prerequisites in South Africa and England, will allow the Indian group control to around up the squad's core for the large event in 2019 and connect up certain spots which still need some paintings.
ALSO READ: India look forward to white-ball comforts
At the same time, the Men in Blue will probably be intent on profitable their first-ever bilateral ODI series on South African soil.
India have prior to now misplaced 2-5 in 1992-93, Zero-4 in 2006- 07, 2-Three in 2010-11 and Zero-2 in 2013-14. They have been also part of two triangular series in 1996-97 and 2001-02, featuring Zimbabwe and Kenya respectively, but the Proteas emerged victors on each events.
So a lot so, India's ODI record towards South Africa in South Africa is heavily skewered.
In 28 conferences since 1992-93, the Proteas have won 21 matches, whilst India have handiest won five. Such a deficient record won't sit down neatly with the current group control this is intent on bettering India's all-round appearing in in another country prerequisites.
Additionally, India have a very lop-sided ODI record at Durban. In seven ODIs towards South Africa at this venue, since 1992-93, they have misplaced six with one no-result. India did beat England and Kenya right here though, during the 2003 ODI World Cup, giving them an general two wins in 9 ODIs at Kingsmead.
At stake, there is also the small matter of attaining the no.1 spot in ICC's ODI rankings. Currently, South Africa sit down atop with 120 issues whilst India are second with 119 issues. While the ODI rankings exchange after each and every event, a cumulative 4-2 series' win will probably be enough to assist India reach the no.1 spot.
This must be motivation enough for Virat Kohli and Co., specifically as they'll be taking the momentum into this ODI series, having assured themselves of finishing no.1 in the ICC Test rankings by means of prolonging their unbeaten record on the Wanderers final week.
South Africa won the Test series 2-1, however misplaced the third Test at Johannesburg by means of 63 runs on a seam-friendly pitch rated 'deficient' by means of ICC event referee Andy Pycroft.
India also have a proud ODI record to protect. Since dropping 1-4 in Australia (January 2016), the Men in Blue haven't misplaced a unmarried bilateral ODI series, home or away.
In this meantime, they have beaten Zimbabwe, New Zealand (twice), England, West Indies, Sri Lanka (twice) and Australia, profitable 24 out of 32 bilateral matches.
Their handiest event loss came in the 2017 Champions Trophy (in England), where they misplaced to Pakistan in the final.
As such, the group control will probably be relying on optimal variety to get this six-match series off to a good start. With the go back of Kohli after missing the ODIs/T20Is series towards Sri Lanka in December, there is just one middle-order spot to be determined.
Shreyas Iyer gave a good account of himself, scoring two half-centuries in three matches towards Sri Lanka, and is a front-runner for the task. But revel in may well be of higher worth herein, with Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey also in the running.
On Wednesday, the pitch bore a brownish glance ahead of the game, in step with the rainfall Durban has won of overdue.
Showers are forecast for Thursday's recreation as neatly. It might have a concerning what number of spinners India go in with.
If the guests play just a lone spinner, Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav could get the nod ahead of each Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal, to counter the specter of big-hitting left- handers David Miller and JP Duminy in the middle-order.
Only one spinner would also mean that Kedar Jadhav is assured of a starting spot, due to his part-time bowling.
South Africa too, meanwhile, have an eye fixed at the upcoming World Cup. AB de Villiers is ready to pass over out the first Three ODIs because of an injured right index finger (sustained during the third Test).
Farhan Behardien is normally their go-to batsman in such scenarios, however he wasn't referred to as up on this occasion. This is indicative of the Proteas' group control eyeing other combos.
Durban-born batsman Khayelihle Zondo can be expecting to make his debut instead. The different possibility is to open with Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock, and provides Aiden Markram some other opportunity in the middle-order, in which he had scored 66 on ODI debut towards Bangladesh at East London (October 2017). The Proteas are expected to head in with handiest spinner -- Imran Tahir.
Teams:
India: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Lungisani Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Khayelihle Zondo.
ALSO READ: AB de Villiers to pass over first three ODIs
With handiest 14 months to head for the 2019 ODI World Cup, India may also glance to kick off their preparations in earnest during the series.
India have a long limited-overs' agenda till their next huge Test project this 12 months.
They play six ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals right here, a T20I tri-series in Sri Lanka and then three ODIs and three T20Is in England and Ireland, with the 2018 IPL season thrown in, earlier than the five-Test series in England later in August.
Such a definitive run of limited-overs' cricket, especially in in another country prerequisites in South Africa and England, will allow the Indian group control to around up the squad's core for the large event in 2019 and connect up certain spots which still need some paintings.
ALSO READ: India look forward to white-ball comforts
At the same time, the Men in Blue will probably be intent on profitable their first-ever bilateral ODI series on South African soil.
India have prior to now misplaced 2-5 in 1992-93, Zero-4 in 2006- 07, 2-Three in 2010-11 and Zero-2 in 2013-14. They have been also part of two triangular series in 1996-97 and 2001-02, featuring Zimbabwe and Kenya respectively, but the Proteas emerged victors on each events.
So a lot so, India's ODI record towards South Africa in South Africa is heavily skewered.
In 28 conferences since 1992-93, the Proteas have won 21 matches, whilst India have handiest won five. Such a deficient record won't sit down neatly with the current group control this is intent on bettering India's all-round appearing in in another country prerequisites.
Additionally, India have a very lop-sided ODI record at Durban. In seven ODIs towards South Africa at this venue, since 1992-93, they have misplaced six with one no-result. India did beat England and Kenya right here though, during the 2003 ODI World Cup, giving them an general two wins in 9 ODIs at Kingsmead.
At stake, there is also the small matter of attaining the no.1 spot in ICC's ODI rankings. Currently, South Africa sit down atop with 120 issues whilst India are second with 119 issues. While the ODI rankings exchange after each and every event, a cumulative 4-2 series' win will probably be enough to assist India reach the no.1 spot.
This must be motivation enough for Virat Kohli and Co., specifically as they'll be taking the momentum into this ODI series, having assured themselves of finishing no.1 in the ICC Test rankings by means of prolonging their unbeaten record on the Wanderers final week.
South Africa won the Test series 2-1, however misplaced the third Test at Johannesburg by means of 63 runs on a seam-friendly pitch rated 'deficient' by means of ICC event referee Andy Pycroft.
India also have a proud ODI record to protect. Since dropping 1-4 in Australia (January 2016), the Men in Blue haven't misplaced a unmarried bilateral ODI series, home or away.
In this meantime, they have beaten Zimbabwe, New Zealand (twice), England, West Indies, Sri Lanka (twice) and Australia, profitable 24 out of 32 bilateral matches.
Their handiest event loss came in the 2017 Champions Trophy (in England), where they misplaced to Pakistan in the final.
As such, the group control will probably be relying on optimal variety to get this six-match series off to a good start. With the go back of Kohli after missing the ODIs/T20Is series towards Sri Lanka in December, there is just one middle-order spot to be determined.
Shreyas Iyer gave a good account of himself, scoring two half-centuries in three matches towards Sri Lanka, and is a front-runner for the task. But revel in may well be of higher worth herein, with Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey also in the running.
On Wednesday, the pitch bore a brownish glance ahead of the game, in step with the rainfall Durban has won of overdue.
Showers are forecast for Thursday's recreation as neatly. It might have a concerning what number of spinners India go in with.
If the guests play just a lone spinner, Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav could get the nod ahead of each Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal, to counter the specter of big-hitting left- handers David Miller and JP Duminy in the middle-order.
Only one spinner would also mean that Kedar Jadhav is assured of a starting spot, due to his part-time bowling.
South Africa too, meanwhile, have an eye fixed at the upcoming World Cup. AB de Villiers is ready to pass over out the first Three ODIs because of an injured right index finger (sustained during the third Test).
Farhan Behardien is normally their go-to batsman in such scenarios, however he wasn't referred to as up on this occasion. This is indicative of the Proteas' group control eyeing other combos.
Durban-born batsman Khayelihle Zondo can be expecting to make his debut instead. The different possibility is to open with Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock, and provides Aiden Markram some other opportunity in the middle-order, in which he had scored 66 on ODI debut towards Bangladesh at East London (October 2017). The Proteas are expected to head in with handiest spinner -- Imran Tahir.
Teams:
India: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Lungisani Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Khayelihle Zondo.
Rejuvenated India aim for top in ODI series against South Africa
![Rejuvenated India aim for top in ODI series against South Africa]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
February 01, 2018
Rating:
