India vs South Africa 2021-22, 1st ODI: Can Men in Blue take a successful first step to redemption?
India and South Africa will be engaged in three ODIs from Wednesday. The Men in Blue will be eyeing redemption against the Proteas over the lost Test series. Here is the 1st ODI preview.
FollowAfter a gruelling three-Test series, India and South Africa will switch focus to the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series. The opening ODI will be played at Boland Park in Paarl on Wednesday. Having lost the Tests 1-2, the Men in Blue will be eyeing redemption against the Proteas, while the focus would also be on Virat Kohli, who will be playing as a batter, rather than a skipper, as KL Rahul takes over the rein. We present the match preview here.
Current form
The last ODI series India played was back in July in Sri Lanka, in which India won 2-1 under Shikhar Dhawan's captaincy. On the other hand, South Africa is coming off a narrow 1-2 loss to Sri Lanka in the island nation. As per the current form, the Men in Blue might be the favourites, but the Proteas cannot be counted out at home.
Team strength & weaknesses, and players to watch out
As far as India is concerned, it will be relying on its bowling. However, its batting is formidable too and can be considered equally effective. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan can spoil the party for the hosts.
In the meantime, South Africa will be heavily relying on its batting, which is massive. While its bowling lacks enough star power, the visitors could be in for a surprise. Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, David Miller to Rassie van der Dussen, Wayne Parnell, Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Nigdi will be the ones who can headline.
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Injury concerns and head-to-head
While South Africa has no significant injury concerns, India monitors pacer Mohammed Siraj's hamstring niggle. As for the head-on clashes, the two have met in ODIs on 84 occasions, with SA leading 46-35. In 34 ODIs in the country, the hosts lead 22-10. It would be their maiden clash in Paarl.
Weather and pitch report
The Paarl weather will be bright and sunny, with an expected temperature of around 33 degrees and just 30% humidity. As for the track, it will get fast as the game progresses, while the side winning the toss might be looking to bat first.
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Probable XI
IND: KL Rahul (c & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin/Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (vc) and Yuzvendra Chahal.
SA: Quinton de Kock (wk), Janneman Malan, Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Sisanda Magala, Lungi Ngidi and Tabraiz Shamsi.
Fantasy XI
Batters: Kohli, Dhawan, Rahul (c), van der-Dussen, Markram- Dhawan and Rahul will give an explosive start, followed by Kohli at number three, while Markram and van der-Dussen will consolidate in the middle.
Wicketkeepers: De Kock (vc), Pant - De Kock can also be deadly as an opener, while Pant will be the finisher here.
All-rounder: Pretorious - He has been in sublime form with the ball, while he can be a handy batter too.
Bowlers: Bumrah, Rabada, Siraj - In an all-round pace attack, the trio have been deadly of late and will be sure to fire with the ball.
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Match details
Date and day: January 19, 2022 (Wednesday)
Venue: Boland Park, Paarl
Time: 2.00 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 Hindi (also available in HD)
Where to watch (Online): Hotstar
