Team India lost the second ODI in Raipur by four wickets to South Africa, who thereby equated the three-match series 1–1 with a record chase of 359. The Blues were in the second innings with a feeling of taking control over the game.
The huge score of 358/5, comprising of Virat Kohli’s well-controlled century of 102, Ruturaj Gaikwad’s easy-going 105, and captain KL Rahul’s fiery 66*, was so impressive that it appeared to be a series-deciding total. In most cases in home-baked conditions, a total of more than 350 is a victory score but South Africa had other plans.
In a magnificent chase, they achieved 359 with four balls remaining, depending on Aiden Markram’s authoritative 110, a skillfully made 68 from Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis’s match-changing 54 off 34, and a composed finishing assault from Corbin Bosch.
India was first in the lead, then tied, and finally nowhere. The chase changed its course in periods and every time India could have locked the door, they allowed South Africa to slip through.
Here are the five main factors that led to India’s defeat in the second ODI against South Africa.
- Aiden Markram’s century turned the chase from hard to easy
The key moment of the whole chase was the firmness Aiden Markram offered at the beginning. Even after the first wicket of Quinton de Kock fell, South Africa never appeared to be disturbed because Markram had melted the pressure, controlled the pace, and thwarted India’s plans during the first part of the innings.
His alliance with Temba Bavuma brought back the chase with nice rotation, making sure that the required run rate never went out of control. By the time they had completed 20 overs, South Africa was in a good position, scoring quickly and pushing the target into a comfortable zone.
Markram’s rotating singles against spin and then moreover his hitting of balls that were not even so short made it impossible for India to take control of the middle overs. His century was scored at a fantastic tempo: fast enough to get South Africa to the victory but secure enough to give the perfect base. Once he had the team at about 190 by the end of the 30th over, the chase was very easy.
- Lack of ability to pick wickets in middle overs
This is the point where the match silently slipped away. During overs 11 to 35, India did neither take enough wickets nor manage the scoring rate.
Jadeja together with Washington Sundar were anticipated to make things difficult for the batters but neither of them was able to do it. Kuldeep Yadav who is usually the middle-overs enforcer for India came and went without being able to make an impact. South Africa kept on scoring like they were at sixes and sevens without breaking any sweat and every time India needed to have a hold over the match they let the batsmen score either by giving a boundary or making it easy for them to get runs.
It was during this time when South Africa made two vital partnerships: first between Markram and Bavuma (101 runs), and then between Markram and Breetzke (90 runs). Not only did both partnerships repair but also propel the chase. When Markram got out the South African team was in a position to unleash attacks without fear.
- Dewald Brevis’ changing the Complexion of the game
If Markram was the architect of the innings then Dewald Brevis was the express to cross it. With by the 30-over mark so-to-say the game was on a knife’s edge. Just within a few overs that equilibrium was shattered.
Brevis wasn’t discriminating between bowlers and thus the momentum was switched dramatically. His aggressive play formed the scenario wherein South Africa went from requiring almost nine an over to their being seven and a half feeling comfortable. The most striking thing about his acceleration was the timing, the exact window India needed to tighten up is when he funneled them the most.
- India’s pathetic fielding performance
In a match that was decided in the very last over, the little things made a huge difference. India had their moments of carelessness: letting a ball through the fielders stationed at the inner circle, throwing the ball to the wrong place, picking up the ball poorly and attempting to catch a ball at the boundary without judging it properly. Yashasvi Jaiswal even dropped a straightforward catch of Markram when he was on 53.
South Africa was always able to run for two where there should have been one and you could say the same with four when there should have been a stop. These mistakes were not disastrous by themselves but together they provided exactly the type of comfort a team going after the target would want.
Whenever India seemed to be building pressure, a mistake in the field allowed it to be released right away. A team with a target of 359 and so much powerful batting could not afford any mistakes and they turned out to be the winning factor.
- No threat in the slog overs
At the 40-over mark, South Africa still needed 77 runs, very much within reach, but still not a done deal. This is the time when India usually feel very much in control and take pride in their bowling. But this time, the death bowling did not work out.
The fast bowlers were unable to get yorkers or even have one plan to fall back on that was consistent all the way through. The bowlers were so inconsistent that too many deliveries fell in the hitting arc, the slower ones were easy to read and the whole process lacked the necessary sharpness.
Arshdeep Singh was in the game but did not get any real penetration. Harshit Rana alternated good balls with loose ones that broke the pressure. Prasidh Krishna had a particular bout of forgetfulness, missing lengths at the most crucial times.
To the already chaotic situation was the slow over-rate penalty, which made India have to keep one more fielder inside the circle right at the end, a huge setback when the total being defended was already very high.
Consequently, Corbin Bosch and Keshav Maharaj brought things to an end without much pressure from the scoring side. India simply did not put enough hard questions in the final five overs.
India’s loss was not due to the fact that 358 was not a sufficient score. Rather, they were defeated because South Africa gained the upper hand in the crucial moments of play: Markram’s anchoring, the middle-overs drift, Brevis’ fireworks, the poor fielding and the messy death bowling.
The match progression stocks the exact opposite. Whenever India was supposed to put the pressure on, they instead took it off. And in present-day ODIs, in a wet night, a team as proficient as South Africa will inevitably take advantage of that
The three-match IND vs SA ODI series having reached the point of 1–1, all attention is focused on Vizag for the final match, a location where both sides will come to realize that the error margin has totally disappeared and the series cup is very much at stake.