India vs South Africa, 2nd semi-final: Preview
India hold the aces ahead of the semi-final against South Africa, thanks to their spinners.
Three years and two days after lifting the World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium, India are on the cusp of winning the T20 WC, as they prepare to take on South Africa in the second semi-final of the tournament in Dhaka on Friday.
Much water has passed under the bridge since MS Dhoni's iconic six helped India become the first Asian team to win the World Cup twice in the night of April 2, 2011. The team has been exposed outside subcontinental conditions - their spate of losses in England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand have only been countered by thumping victories at home against the West Indies and Australia, but the lost series to England at the end of 2012 underlined everything that was wrong with Indian cricket.
The most popular sport in the country took a serious beating when the spot-fixing scandal came to light last year and certain revelations since, albeit not proven in their entirety, have shaken the faith of the greatest stakeholders of the game - the adoring fans. However, just when the average Indian cricket spectator was on the verge of giving up, Dhoni's boys scripted a dramatic Champions Trophy victory in England, the very nation where the humiliation of the world champions began, months after the historic evening in Mumbai. The conditions were drastically different from the four Test series, but who cared? India had outclassed the hosts in their own den.
Cut to the present, even as the BCCI saw changes at the top, with their much revered president ousted by the highest court of the land, the cricketers have once again taken upon themselves the mantle of restoring the credibility of the game in India. The bowlers, led by Amit Mishra and R Ashwin have come to the party while the batting, as usual has revolved around Virat Kohli, with Rohit Sharma also exhibiting his share of skills on familiar territory - but the biggest plus was Yuvraj Singh's return to form against his favourite foes, Australia.
The odds, when India go to battle against the foes, will be highly in favour of Dhoni & Co., but in the shortest format of the game, even the bravest would shudder to call on the favourites.
India: It has been a dream tournament so far for the blue brigade. After some scathing criticism for their performance, India's bowlers rose to the challenge and delivered some sensational spells, triggering panic and collapses in the ranks of strong T20 line-ups - Pakistan, West Indies and Australia were made to look mediocre against the combined guile of Mishra and Ashwin. Ravindra Jadeja too chipped in with his share of wickets and his expensive economy rate did not even make a difference, thanks to his more senior spin colleagues.
The batting has been solid but untested so far, barring a brief spell against Australia, when Yuvraj and Dhoni steered the side out of choppy waters. Rohit has been reasonably consistent, Kohli has been enigmatic, Dhoni has shown he belongs to the international level, with or without enough match practice, while Yuvraj's welcome return to the form has been warmly acknowledged by the captain.
Suresh Raina did promise a very different self before the T20 WC got underway and he has lived up to his words so far. The only cause for concern is the form of Shikhar Dhawan, who made way for Ajinkya Rahane in the dead rubber against Australia. Everything indicates to a return in the playing XI for the Delhi southpaw, while Rahane will be unlucky to miss out again.
However, there could still be a silver lining for the stylish Mumbai batsman. Yuvraj Singh had injured himself in a game of football on Wednesday and was seen with a bandage around his ankle as he limped off the ground. The team officially insists that the player-of-the-tournament in the 2011 World Cup will be available for selection on Friday, but the incident has left many to wonder the need for such prolonged football games, barefooted no less, in the middle of such an important event.
Barring that injury scare and Dhawan's indifferent form, India have looked like the team to beat this tournament. The team is working like a well-oiled machine, with all their departments in sync with the other and moreover, the conditions in Dhaka seem tailor-made for them.
Can South Africa, who have been based out of Chittagong for their Super 10s games pose a serious challenge to the Indians? Friday evening should tell.
South Africa: Chokers. How long will the team continue to choke in the face of big challenges, South African fans must often wonder. All through their history, the Proteas have failed to cross major hurdles and consequently have never laid hands on a World Cup of any kind. Back in 2007, when the inaugural T20 WC was played in their own backyard, they went down to India and out of the tournament before the last-four began.
But this time, things could be a little different. It's a new age South African side that has paved its way to the semi-finals, after tight wins against New Zealand and Netherlands and a relatively comfortable defence against England. They have in their ranks some of the most dangerous players in world cricket - players who can exploit any conditions in any format.
The likes of Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy spread fears across many bowling attacks while the threat of Dale Steyn always looms large. Not known to produce world class spinners, the Proteas have in their midst Imran Tahir, who has adapted to the conditions beautifully, and will be charged up to show his mettle against India, especially after a stint with Shane Warne at the nets.
The South Africans are geared up and make no mistake, they will be wary of India's spin threat. They know their opponents have mastered these conditions and are better at exploiting the slow nature of the pitch. But South Africa are not completely alien to the mysteries of the subcontinent. So many of their players play in the IPL that it would be a bad excuse, if South Africa collapse on Friday, without a semblance of fight.
Conditions:
The dew has not been a major factor so far for the teams in Dhaka and it is unlikely to be so with the start advanced by 30 minutes. It seems like a wise move, taking away the advantage to an extent from the captain winning the toss. Key games in such big tournaments should not be heavily determined by the flip of a coin.
Head-to-Head: India clearly hold the edge over South Africa, having won five of the seven T20 games the two teams have played against each other. The Proteas have won only two against India, once in Nottingham in 2009 and then again in Johannesburg in 2012.
India got the better of South Africa in their last T20I, winning by one run in a Group 2 league game.
Numbers:
3: The number of runs AB de Villiers requires to become the second South African after JP Duminy to reach 1000 runs in T20Is.
61 and 99: The number of runs Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina require respectively to get to 1000 runs in T20Is. No Indian has achieved this feat yet.
45: Morne Morkel needs 5 more wickets to become the second bowler after Dale Steyn to reach 50 wickets in T20Is for South Africa.
Quotes:
We never walked into this tournament as favourites, and we wouldn't want to be tagged as favourites. We just go in and enjoy ourselves; R Ashwin.
We know it's going to be a big challenge for us. We want to put up a big performance against their spinners. We know that their spinners will be a key component to their team - JP Duminy.
India vs South Africa, 2nd semi-final: Preview - Cricbuzz
India hold the aces ahead of the semi-final against South Africa, thanks to their spinners.
Three years and two days after lifting the World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium, India are on the cusp of winning the T20 WC, as they prepare to take on South Africa in the second semi-final of the tournament in Dhaka on Friday.
Much water has passed under the bridge since MS Dhoni's iconic six helped India become the first Asian team to win the World Cup twice in the night of April 2, 2011. The team has been exposed outside subcontinental conditions - their spate of losses in England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand have only been countered by thumping victories at home against the West Indies and Australia, but the lost series to England at the end of 2012 underlined everything that was wrong with Indian cricket.
The most popular sport in the country took a serious beating when the spot-fixing scandal came to light last year and certain revelations since, albeit not proven in their entirety, have shaken the faith of the greatest stakeholders of the game - the adoring fans. However, just when the average Indian cricket spectator was on the verge of giving up, Dhoni's boys scripted a dramatic Champions Trophy victory in England, the very nation where the humiliation of the world champions began, months after the historic evening in Mumbai. The conditions were drastically different from the four Test series, but who cared? India had outclassed the hosts in their own den.
Cut to the present, even as the BCCI saw changes at the top, with their much revered president ousted by the highest court of the land, the cricketers have once again taken upon themselves the mantle of restoring the credibility of the game in India. The bowlers, led by Amit Mishra and R Ashwin have come to the party while the batting, as usual has revolved around Virat Kohli, with Rohit Sharma also exhibiting his share of skills on familiar territory - but the biggest plus was Yuvraj Singh's return to form against his favourite foes, Australia.
The odds, when India go to battle against the foes, will be highly in favour of Dhoni & Co., but in the shortest format of the game, even the bravest would shudder to call on the favourites.
India: It has been a dream tournament so far for the blue brigade. After some scathing criticism for their performance, India's bowlers rose to the challenge and delivered some sensational spells, triggering panic and collapses in the ranks of strong T20 line-ups - Pakistan, West Indies and Australia were made to look mediocre against the combined guile of Mishra and Ashwin. Ravindra Jadeja too chipped in with his share of wickets and his expensive economy rate did not even make a difference, thanks to his more senior spin colleagues.
The batting has been solid but untested so far, barring a brief spell against Australia, when Yuvraj and Dhoni steered the side out of choppy waters. Rohit has been reasonably consistent, Kohli has been enigmatic, Dhoni has shown he belongs to the international level, with or without enough match practice, while Yuvraj's welcome return to the form has been warmly acknowledged by the captain.
Suresh Raina did promise a very different self before the T20 WC got underway and he has lived up to his words so far. The only cause for concern is the form of Shikhar Dhawan, who made way for Ajinkya Rahane in the dead rubber against Australia. Everything indicates to a return in the playing XI for the Delhi southpaw, while Rahane will be unlucky to miss out again.
However, there could still be a silver lining for the stylish Mumbai batsman. Yuvraj Singh had injured himself in a game of football on Wednesday and was seen with a bandage around his ankle as he limped off the ground. The team officially insists that the player-of-the-tournament in the 2011 World Cup will be available for selection on Friday, but the incident has left many to wonder the need for such prolonged football games, barefooted no less, in the middle of such an important event.
Barring that injury scare and Dhawan's indifferent form, India have looked like the team to beat this tournament. The team is working like a well-oiled machine, with all their departments in sync with the other and moreover, the conditions in Dhaka seem tailor-made for them.
Can South Africa, who have been based out of Chittagong for their Super 10s games pose a serious challenge to the Indians? Friday evening should tell.
South Africa: Chokers. How long will the team continue to choke in the face of big challenges, South African fans must often wonder. All through their history, the Proteas have failed to cross major hurdles and consequently have never laid hands on a World Cup of any kind. Back in 2007, when the inaugural T20 WC was played in their own backyard, they went down to India and out of the tournament before the last-four began.
But this time, things could be a little different. It's a new age South African side that has paved its way to the semi-finals, after tight wins against New Zealand and Netherlands and a relatively comfortable defence against England. They have in their ranks some of the most dangerous players in world cricket - players who can exploit any conditions in any format.
The likes of Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy spread fears across many bowling attacks while the threat of Dale Steyn always looms large. Not known to produce world class spinners, the Proteas have in their midst Imran Tahir, who has adapted to the conditions beautifully, and will be charged up to show his mettle against India, especially after a stint with Shane Warne at the nets.
The South Africans are geared up and make no mistake, they will be wary of India's spin threat. They know their opponents have mastered these conditions and are better at exploiting the slow nature of the pitch. But South Africa are not completely alien to the mysteries of the subcontinent. So many of their players play in the IPL that it would be a bad excuse, if South Africa collapse on Friday, without a semblance of fight.
Conditions:
The dew has not been a major factor so far for the teams in Dhaka and it is unlikely to be so with the start advanced by 30 minutes. It seems like a wise move, taking away the advantage to an extent from the captain winning the toss. Key games in such big tournaments should not be heavily determined by the flip of a coin.
Head-to-Head: India clearly hold the edge over South Africa, having won five of the seven T20 games the two teams have played against each other. The Proteas have won only two against India, once in Nottingham in 2009 and then again in Johannesburg in 2012.
India got the better of South Africa in their last T20I, winning by one run in a Group 2 league game.
Numbers:
3: The number of runs AB de Villiers requires to become the second South African after JP Duminy to reach 1000 runs in T20Is.
61 and 99: The number of runs Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina require respectively to get to 1000 runs in T20Is. No Indian has achieved this feat yet.
45: Morne Morkel needs 5 more wickets to become the second bowler after Dale Steyn to reach 50 wickets in T20Is for South Africa.
Quotes:
We never walked into this tournament as favourites, and we wouldn't want to be tagged as favourites. We just go in and enjoy ourselves; R Ashwin.
We know it's going to be a big challenge for us. We want to put up a big performance against their spinners. We know that their spinners will be a key component to their team - JP Duminy.
India vs South Africa, 2nd semi-final: Preview - Cricbuzz
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