De Villiers not anxious by Ashwin

The stadium was engulfed with chants of ‘AB! More than his moves as a skipper on the field, his own personal form with the bat is worrying.

Gavaskar also emphasised on getting the batting order right as India did not have an experienced tail. It looks like a good cricket wicket.

It had nothing to do with switching loyalties, but respecting the sport for what it has stood. That is pretty much what I have been doing in the last month or two. The Kanpur crowd, one would hope, undid the damage caused to the game by the fickle miscreants at Cuttack a week earlier. However, the RSA’s captain AB de Villiers is aware of the nearly every situation of the host nation and would definitely be prepared for everything that Men in Blue can do to them.

South Africa won the toss and chose to bat first in favourable conditions earlier in the day.

“He has been a great player for India, but you don’t want him to become a liability for the team”.

Another problem area for India is the No. 6 role of middle-order finisher, with Ambati Rayudu expected to be called upon. It played slow throughout, offering square turn within the first 10 overs.

South Africa: Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, A.B.de Villiers (captain), Faf du Plessis, Jean-Paul Duminy, Farhaan Behardien, David Miller, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel. “If there is one area where the Indian team has to improve, it is the bowling”, he added.

Suresh Raina after Kohli is on the list at No 12, followed by Rohit Sharma at No 21 and MS Dhoni at No 36. He scored half the runs of the Indian innings and that says it all. De Villiers’ was calm before unleashing the storm.

Ashwin proved his ability to outsmart a key rival batsman in August when he soured Kumar Sangakkara’s farewell by dismissing the retiring Sri Lankan great in each of his last four test innings.

De Villiers went about his business in usual fashion, stroking the ball around the ground, hitting slog shots as gracefully as he would. As far as pressure is concerned, there won’t be any as this is his age to take pressure. Statistically though, under Dhoni’s leadership, India have prospered in the fifty-over format – the high point being their victory in the 2011 World Cup. It may result into calling in Shikhar Dhawan who gets quite good strokes in 50 overs format.

India needed 22 runs of the last two overs with five wickets in hand and Dale Steyn conceded 11 before 20-year-old Rabada claimed back-to-back wickets to restrict the hosts to 298 for seven. Sharma brought up his century off just 98 balls and was well-supported by Ajinkya Rahane who scored an 82-ball 60. India’s apparently strong batting line up has not been consistent, just as in Bangladesh. Even after Rohit got to his century, he continued to collect runs at a brisk pace and completed his 150. His wicket yet again turned the tide in favour of the Proteas.