India vs South Africa: Home support gives India slight advantage in first T20I

A settled batting line-up and home support perhaps allow India slight advantage. (Source: PTI)

Virat Kohli’s India move in the first lane. Limited-overs cricket, however, is Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s territory and he loves to take the pace off the ball. So it’s no surprise that the hosts are going into this three-match T20 international series against South Africa, starting Friday, without a proper fast bowler.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma, uncapped Sreenath Aravind and Stuart Binny will offer dibbly-dobbly medium pace which, according to team director Ravi Shastri, suits the conditions most. “There’s no permanent strategy and you’ve got to respect the conditions,” he had said a few days ago.

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This land is the hub of T20 cricket, thanks to the IPL. India playing T20 international, however, is a rarity – only two matches in the last 12 months. But this is an important series, for the World T20 is around the corner and both teams aim to start their preparations for the mega event next year from the picture-postcard settings of Dharamsala.

India have beaten South Africa six times in eight T20 internationals but the past records offer little clue to the present and the future in this format of the game. A settled batting line-up and home support perhaps allow India slight advantage.

Will Dhoni promote himself up the order, giving Ajinkya Rahane a short shrift as he did in the ODIs in Bangladesh? India’s limited-overs captain no longer remains the finisher he used to be and it won’t be bad ploy if he bats at No. 4 in a 20-over game. As for bowling, the team has to take a call between Harbhajan Singh and Axar Patel. The latter is the in-form player after some fantastic performances for India ‘A’.

With Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel rested, the visitors appear to be a little thin in the bowling department, but leg-spinner Imran Tahir can make a difference. It’s a pity that T20 restricts the bowlers to a maximum of four overs each. Tahir versus Suresh Raina, otherwise, could have been a mouth-watering contest.

The Proteas captain Faf du Plessis will bank on his IPL experience. At the end of the day, however, one individual can single-handedly decide the outcome. AB de Villiers bats 360 degrees and gives the bowlers an inferiority complex when he gets going.