ODI Cricket

India might have lost the final match against South Africa and consequently given away the hope to win a series in any form of the game for the first time in South Africa, however there are still a lot of positives to be taken away from the series.

The very first being the thrilling performance by Virat Kohli. The 22- year old scored 193 runs in the series at an average of 48.25 in five matches, being the highest run getter for India in the series.

Following the young Delhiite is the Baroda all-rounder Yusuf Pathan. In the three matches that he played he scored 166 runs at an average of 55.33. To add to that his bowling in the middle overs was quite effective in curtailing runs, which is quite clear from his economy of 4.58 in three matches.

Yuvraj Singh, though not among runs, bowled really well and bagged five wickets in the series with an economy of 4.96. Certainly his presence in the team provides added advantage to the team, especially in the sub-continent, where the World Cup is going to be held.

Suresh Raina too would not be quite happy with his performance with the bat as he managed to score 111 runs in the series at an average of 22.20. However he to becomes an important factor when it comes to putting in those few overs with his off spinners. He did satisfactorily with his bowling in this concluded series having an economy of 5.12.

Munaf Patel bowled exceedingly well bagging 11 wickets in the series and was the highest wicket taker for India in the series.  He even bowled pretty well in the death overs, because of which his economy was 5.02 in the 41 overs that he bowled.

But there still lays a lot to worry about. In particular Nehra’s form. Nehra managed three wickets in the entire series at an economy of 6.69. Harbhajan Singh though did keep the scoring under control, did not manage too many wickets, with four for the entire series.

Never the less it would be unreasonable to think that the Indians are not prepared for the World Cup. With Sachin , Sehwag and Gambhir at the top, followed by Kohli , Yuvraj, Raina and Dhoni and the tailenders including Bhajji, Chawla/Ashwin and two fast bowlers , the Indian team seems to be quite balanced.

Thus it’s not always that all’s well that ends well for the unexpected end might just be the beginning of the expected.

Tags: Cricket, IND, India, ODI Series, SA, South Africa, Virat Kohli, Yusuf Pathan