The Proteas were limited to a final total of 227 for nine against India in Wednesday’s World Cup fixture at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.
Captain Faf du Plessis named wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi and the veteran Hashim Amla in the XI, after bowler Dale Steyn was sidelined by injury and batsman Aiden Markram was dropped.
Du Plessis became only the second captain to opt to bat first in the 2019 tournament, but the Proteas failed to capitalise. Instead, the same bowlers that resigned South Africa to a five-one ODI series defeat last year succeed again.
Wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav and seamer Jasprit Bumrah shared 41 wickets in early 2019’s six ODIs – and this time collectively snared seven.
Chahal deceived du Plessis and all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo with turn – and late dip was the undoing of the right-handed Rassie van der Dussen and left-handed David Miller. Bumrah, meanwhile, was responsible for ending the threats posed by openers Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock.
The total would have read substantially less, too, had all-rounder Chris Morris and tail-ender Kagiso Rabada not equalled South Africa’s highest seventh-wicket partnership in World Cup cricket. Batsman Daryll Culllinan and all-rounder Shaun Pollock also managed 66 against Zimbabwe during the 1999 tournament at Chelmsford.
South Africa and India have contested 83 ODIs. The former have won 46 and the latter 34, with three no-results. The Proteas, however, have been victorious in just three of the last 10.
The Proteas are smarting after last week’s defeats to England and Bangladesh at The Oval in London. This is India’s first match of the tournament. They lost to New Zealand and beat Bangladesh in the warm-up fixtures.
Wednesday’s second match will see New Zealand clash with Bangladesh at The Oval. Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan in Cardiff, Wales, on Tuesday. Australia will meet the West Indies at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Lokesh Rahul, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Jean-Paul Duminy, Andile Phehlukwayo, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi.
Photo: Getty Images
