 "After a reality check, Indian pacers reassert control to go 2-1 up against South Africa")
Thursday did not go as planned for India. They opted to bowl first after winning the toss in Mullanpur but that was about it as far as things going their way was concerned. Their bowlers bowled all over the shop, were taken for 213 and their batters then crumbled as South Africa’s pacers turned up the heat.
What was also a little concerning was how much better the Proteas were at adapting to conditions. India could not find the right lengths throughout. South Africa could, and they caused havoc with the new ball.
That result meant the Proteas leveled the series. It also meant that both matches in the series (prior to Sunday) had been won by the side defending a total. India did that comprehensively in Cuttack. South Africa repaid the favour further north.
And that is why India would have had a tough decision to make at the toss in Dharamsala. It is not often that they win tosses anyway, but if they were to win, would they want to stick to the trend of the series, or back their bowlers to exploit whatever freshness there may be in the surface?
India went for the latter. They put South Africa in. And thankfully for them, their seamers obliged.
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View AllArshdeep Singh: Masterclass in early wicket-taking
Arshdeep Singh, ever since becoming a permanent fixture in India’s T20I side, has developed a knack of taking early wickets. He is also a menace when batters are new at the crease. He has now dismissed a batter for a duck 20 times in T20Is. No Indian bowler has done that more often in men’s cricket.
His first over was a piece of art in itself. The first ball he bowled to Reeza Hendricks (the second ball of the over) continued with the angle and beat Hendricks on the outside as he tried to nibble at it. The next ball was also similar in that it slanted away with the angle and went past the outside edge.
At that moment, Hendricks would have been inclined to pre-empt another away-going delivery. Arshdeep probably knew that too. And he slipped in an in-swinger that began on middle stump and then curved in devilishly.
Hendricks, perhaps preoccupied with what he would do if the ball held its line, was a tad late in bringing his bat down. He played around his front pad, meaning he could not access the ball. either The umpire was a touch late to react too and did not give it out initially, and it was only via DRS that Arshdeep made the early inroad India wanted him to.
Harshit Rana steps up in Bumrah’s absence
Harshit Rana, brought into the side in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, then ensured he did not get left behind. He went around the wicket and seemed intent on denying Quinton de Kock room. He attacked the channel and got one ball to deck back in sharply. De Kock, not expecting the prodigious seam movement, played outside the line, got pinged on the back leg and was walking back to the shed soon after.
In his next over, Rana accounted for Dewald Brevis. This time, playing on Brevis’ patience and his natural instincts. Brevis, normally, is a very aggressive player. So, when Rana dangled a full and wide tempter, Brevis’ instinctive reaction was to go after it.
But because Arshdeep and Rana were getting the ball to hoop around, he got caught on the crease, eventually wafting at a wide delivery loosely and dragging it onto his stumps.
Hardik Pandya’s milestone moment
Hardik Pandya, on the cusp of a hundred wickets in the format, did not get left behind either as he probed on a length outside off and enticed Tristan Stubbs into a tentative-looking jab. It was not as glamorous a dismissal as that of Hendricks, but it was important nevertheless.
India’s fast-bowling grip on South Africa was so tight that Shivam Dube, who has been used sparingly as a seamer but is featuring more prominently as a bowling option under this regime, also helped himself to a scalp. That too off his first delivery, with a ball that nipped back in sharply and flattened leg stump.
Dube could have had more, had Arshdeep and Rana been up to scratch on the fence. Arshdeep dropped a tough chance while running in from long on, whereas Rana charged in too much from sweeper cover, only to then see the ball sail over his head and yet, land inside the rope.
In the end, that did not cost India too much. Because Aiden Markram was the only batter to mount any sort of resistance. But apart from those two missteps, India, up until maybe the 17th and 18th over, were largely spotless. A special mention also to Varun Chakravarthy, who produced another spell of incredible quality, keeping the South African batters guessing throughout.
And that sort of relentlessness is what has cast India as arguably the best T20I outfit on the planet. Their batters, of course, hog a lot of the headlines and rightly so on most occasions. But their bowling attack and especially their seamers, more often than not, provide the incision and penetration required to peg back oppositions at the start.
Arshdeep has played a key role in that for almost the entirety of his international career. And with each passing game, it seems that Rana can do the same as well. As for Bumrah, well, everyone knows what he can do with the new ball.
Also Read: Hardik Pandya scripts history, becomes first Indian to achieve unique milestone in T20Is
Dharamsala conditions aid pacers
India did get the rub of the green on Sunday, in terms of the conditions. Dharamsala, in winters especially, does offer some help to pacers early in the evening. That this was a lively surface only made it tougher for South Africa. But it cannot also be denied that this was an Indian attack under the pump, and an Indian attack missing Bumrah. Still, they never made it feel that way.
They found the right lengths. They found those lengths promptly and did not get carried away. Which, by the way, is quite difficult, especially when the ball is moving around, and when the burden of the most recent game weighs heavy. And that was perhaps the most impressive aspect of their display, and that is what should hold them in good stead. Coming up with a performance like this, days after being taken apart for 213, also bodes well.
There is an old adage in cricket that says batters win you matches, and that bowlers win you tournaments/series. India’s bowlers on Sunday showed they could do that too. Even if they are coming off a blip. Or a game when things did not quite go to plan.
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