Opinion: Magnificent Kohli was crucial in India's win over South Africa
Indian cricket team
The spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, have captured 33 wickets among them and that speaks volumes of the control and dominance they had over the South African batsmen
This is a great time to be an Indian cricket fan. After beating South Africa in the sixth and final ODI at Centurion, India wrapped up a historic series victory by thumping the hosts 5-1. The manner of India’s dominance and South Africa’s abject capitulation has left countless cricket fans shocked.
Last night’s ODI was a dead rubber. The series was already decided. And yet, people expected the home team to show fight in order to save some face. That was not to be as on a good batting surface, South Africa was bowled out for just 204 and then Team India brushed aside the target with eight wickets in hand and about 18 overs to spare.
Leading the charge was once again captain Virat Kohli, whose magnificent unbeaten 129 made a mockery of the small target. The Indian bowlers, too, were brilliant and young pacer Shradul Thakur’s 4-52 helped to restrict the home side to a low score.
Prior to this series, South Africa was ranked the No.1 ODI side in the world. After having been thoroughly dismantled by India, they have slipped to the No.2 slot and given the way their team is looking at the present, things do not look very rosy for the Proteas.
India, meanwhile, will be thrilled. Their top order looks in great touch and their bowling, especially that of the spinners, has been regularly choking the opposition. Just to put things in perspective, the Indian bowlers have managed to clinch 51 wickets in the 6 ODIs as compared to just 23 by the South African bowlers.
The spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, have captured 33 wickets among them and that speaks volumes of the control and dominance they had over the South African batsmen.
The hero of the series for India, apart from the bowlers, has been Virat Kohli. He has not just led from the front, he has been absolutely peerless in the way he has gone about scoring his runs and making a mockery of the South African bowling. In the 6 ODIs, Kohli has garnered a whopping 558 runs at an astounding average of 186 with 3 hundred and one fifty.
His sheer dominance has been phenomenal to witness and there is no denying that we are seeing a living legend blossom on the front of our eyes. In recent memory, no other batsman has single-handedly decimated an opposition so ruthlessly. Perhaps, Sachin’s supremacy over Australia in the 1998 season comes close in mind.
Kohli now has 35 ODI hundreds and where exactly does he end up will be fascinating to watch.
While India will be celebrating this momentous series victory, they need to be wary of a few issues as well. Their middle-order needs some changes and flexibility and has clearly struggled to take the initiative when it mattered. They also need a capable finisher at the end stages as Hardik Pandya hasn’t really excelled in that role as yet.
If India can sort this issue out then they can go on to dominate everywhere in the world, especially with the variety they now have in their bowling lineup.
For South Africa, it will be back to the drawing board. Clearly, their new set of young players has not been up to the mark and they are overly reliant on yesteryear stalwarts like AB de Villers, Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis to bail them out.
If South Africa hopes to regain their No.1 status and be a force in the 2019 World Cup, then the selectors and the team management need to take a long, hard look for the next generation of cricketers who can lead the team.
Cricket-wise, this ODI series was a dampener. The contest, save for the fourth ODI, was thoroughly one-sided and India cruised to victory in all their games. The fans surely would have expected a lot more fight and thrill as the No.1 and No.2 sides of the world went at loggerheads.
Regardless, team India has been really professional and clinical in their ways and can be proud of this historic achievement. Kudos to them for achieving this spectacular ODI series victory against South Africa on their own turf – it’s a feat that no other visiting Indian team has achieved before.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)