Proteas vs India: Four match-ups to watch in Ahmedabad on Sunday

South Africatake on India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday in their opening Super 8 clash of the ongoingICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Independent Media’s Senior Contributor Ongama Gcwabe highlights Four Match-Ups to keep an eye on during the contest. All eyes will be on the two captains in Ahmedabad on Sunday, South Africa’s Aiden Markram and India’s Suryakumar Yadav.

The hopes of their nations rest on their shoulders, and they stand to take all the blame or the glory depending on the result of their respective teams. Markram has been in fine form all season, from the SA20 to the ongoing T20 World Cup, as he has smashed four half-centuries, two of which were unbeaten, and one century in his last 10 T20 innings. In the India camp, Yadav has also been on song, having recorded four half-centuries in his last 10 T20I innings.

The captain who leads from the front with the bat and makes good decisions on the field with bowling changes and field placements will likely lead his team to victory. Through the 13 years that Quinton de Kock has been playing international cricket, bowlers around the world have identified that the best time to get him out is early on in his innings. He tends to have a weakness with the moving new ball that is pitched up.

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India’s Jasprit Bumrah will certainly be looking to exploit that weakness on Sunday, and if there is any bowler who could exploit that weakness in the India bowling attack, it is Bumrah with his pace and control. On the other hand, De Kock is hungry to perform for the team and win trophies. His form since returning to international cricket proves just how determined he is to do something special for South Africa.

Thus far, De Kock has the highest score of 59 in the World Cup, and it has been his only milestone with the bat. Behind the stumps, the 33-year-old will be crucial to take catches and help Markram make educated decisions with field placings and reviews. India’s leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy is currently in the form of his life.

Thus far, he has taken a tally of seven wickets in the tournament and is a serious threat to South Africa’s batting unit. It is very difficult to pick him up and understand what he is trying to do in terms of which direction the ball is going to spin towards. However, despite the mystery that Chakravarthy brings, pressure tends to neutralise any threat from bowlers, and there is no better batter to put pressure on him than Dewald Brevis with his brute strength and license to attack.

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