The South-African Litmus Test: India’s batting line-up faces off against the best bowling attack in the world

Team India is all set as the team takes on the mighty South Africa in a three-match ODI series starting from tomorrow. A confident Team Indian side under Mahendra Singh Dhoni will take on AB de Villiers’s South Africans. While India are coming off a double ODI and Test win over the West Indies, South Africa lost the ODI series against Pakistan.

Indian top batting order Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are in stupendous form right throughout this year. Rohit Sharma got a double ton in ODI’s recently. Kohli holds the number one batsman ranking in ODI’s. Dhawan has hit the maximum number of centuries (5) in ODIs this year. Yuvraj, Raina and MS Dhoni further strengthens Indian battling line up with Jadeja and Ashwin proving handy at lower order.

On the other hand, South Africa’s bowling attack is considered as one of the best ever. Dale Steyn, considered as one of the fiercest fast bowlers in the world today will be accompanied by pace and length of Morne Morkel and swinging yorkers of Lonwabo Tsotsobe. All three bowlers are among the top ten bowlers in the ODI rankings. Steyn’s spell of 6/39 in nine overs against Pakistan in the 2nd ODI is a glimpse of his form recently. His ability to generate extra bounce and further home crowd support will add flavour to his bowling. Morkel’s ability to vary pace and length according to the situation will prove threat to Indian batting. Tsotsobe’s swing and yorkers will be difficult to play under South African conditions. Jacques Kallis, JP Duminy and Imran Tahir further adds to Bowling line up.

Apart from a strong bowling line up, South African batting lineup seems impressive too. With Hashim Amla and Greame Smith at the top and apart from experienced middle order batsman like Jacques Kallis, they have specialist finishers as well in form of AB de Villiers and David Miller. Indian bowling line up includes some pace of Umesh Yadav and mighty swingers of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Spin department will depend on Jadeja wicket taking abilities and Ashwin’s variations in bowling.

The pitch will surely favor fast bowlers with little left for spinners. South African home crowd will further add to India’s worry.  India have never won a bilateral ODI series in South Africa and the Men in Blue will want to take heart from their arch-rivals’ success as Pakistan recently defeated them at their home soil. The match will surely be a good one as India’s batting line-up faces off against the best bowling attack in the world.