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| Virat Kohli has been the only bright spot in the series for India in an otherwise out-of-form batting line-up, which has been hit by injuries to players like Sachin and Sehwag. |
The tour will end where it began, here at SuperSport Park, ensuring that this rewarding, often eminently watchable engagement between India and South Africa has a neat touch of symmetry.
With the ODI series tied 2-2 — the Tests ended 1-1 — Sunday's fifth game will be the final and deciding episode of this contest between two dead-even teams. (India took the one-off Twenty20 International, but that struggled to stay a cricket match).
“I don't think it can get any better,” said Indian captain M.S. Dhoni. “The best teams in the world playing against each other. If you see the Test series, it went to the last Test match, and in the same way it's gone to the last ODI. I hope it's the perfect day for cricket. It's an ideal set-up for the whole series, the whole tour, you can say. May the best team win.”
India let slip the opportunity to win its maiden ODI series in South Africa in the fourth game, allowing the opposition to recover from a dire position. With the shortest of turnaround times between games — the fifth ODI is a day match — India will need to rehabilitate its bodies and minds quickly.
Rain forecast
Both teams chose to rest on Saturday, taking a brief breather before the decider. SuperSport Park is traditionally a good batting pitch, especially in limited-overs cricket, but the rain which has haunted this tour could affect matters. Showers have been forecast for Sunday.
But this is a fast-draining ground — not even the deluge on the first day of the series could prevent play.
“I don't mind a damp wicket again,” said Dhoni, referring to the first day of the first Test. “I don't think it will really happen … I am hopeful there won't be any Duckworth-Lewis involved in that game, but we will see how it is before the game.”
South African captain Graeme Smith laughed in exasperation when asked about the rain. “It seems to be the story of the summer,” he said. “There has been so much rain around South Africa at the moment that I am sure it will play a role somewhere.”
Batsmen from both sides have struggled in the series thus far. It has made for some compelling cricket. “At times it's good to play series like these where it's not just the batsmen who are scoring hundreds and fifties and scoring close to 300-350 runs,” said Dhoni. “It's nice to see the opposition scoring 200 runs and defending them. I think it's a good experience. You get plenty out of games like these.”
Top-order problem
Without Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Gautam Gambhir, India has had a problem at the top of the order. M. Vijay was dropped after making 18 runs in three matches. Rohit Sharma, with 44 in four matches, has looked no more convincing. As a result, India has struggled at the start — such a vital phase of the innings.
Virat Kohli (191 runs at 63.66) has shown that he has the spirit and the skill for tough cricket and Suresh Raina, who appeared a walking wicket in the Test series, has managed important runs without always looking the part. But more is needed from Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni.
South Africa's batting has been marginally better and it has managed healthier starts. J.P. Duminy's performance — 209 runs at 69.66 — has papered over the cracks, something Smith is aware of. “We have had a habit of brain fades in this series,” said Smith. “We have learnt some important lessons about being slightly more street-smart, and it will be important to use them in the fifth game.”
The teams (from):
South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt.), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, A.B. de Villiers (wk), J.P. Duminy, Francois du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, and Morne van Wyk.
India: M.S. Dhoni (capt. & wk), M. Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, R. Ashwin, Piyush Chawla, Zaheer Khan, S. Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra, Parthiv Patel, and Ishant Sharma.
hawla, Zaheer Khan, S. Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra, Parthiv Patel, and Ishant Sharma.
Umpires: Simon Taufel and Brian Jerling. Third umpire: Shaun George. Match referee: Chris Broad.
Match starts at 1.30 p.m. (IST).
