Indian middle-order batting had to face a lot of criticism after it failed miserably to chase a target of 297 runs against the hosts South Africa in the first ODI, played on Wednesday (January 19).
Batting first, South Africa had registered a formidable total of 296 runs. Skipper Temba Bavuma (110 off 143 balls) and Rassie van der Dussen (129 off 96 balls) played a solid partnership of 204 runs off 184 balls to avert the initial danger caused by the Indian bowling line-up.
Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah was the best bowler after he picked up 2 wickets conceding 48 runs. Ravichandran Ashwin on the other hand, picked up a wicket.
A good start
In reply, Indian opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan (79 off 84 balls) and Virat Kohli (51 off 63 deliveries) tried to build a good platform but a dismal performance from the Indian middle order batsmen saw their side reach a total of 265 runs in 50 overs.
While talking about India’s performance, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said that “Indian middle-order looked a little short on batting.”
"I've maintained that India's middle-order looked a little short on batting when you have somebody like a Rishabh Pant batting at 5 and a Venky Iyer in a very unfamiliar role. You know, for a newcomer to bat down at No. 6 on a pitch that's going to be dry and getting slow further. There wasn't much of a threat down the order so I thought they should have made a place for somebody like Suryakumar Yadav... I guess a few little tweaks will have to be done to make sure that the middle looks a little more wholesome," Manjrekar was quoted while talking to a news portal.
"Just far too many runs to chase, especially in a day game where the pitch wasn't going the get easier for the batters chasing and the ball wasn't going to get wet because of the dew... There was some hope at the start but somebody had to carry the bat through the innings. Shikhar Dhawan got out after being set, Virat Kohli as well. It was always going to be difficult... I think India lost the game when they allowed the opposition to go beyond 250," he added.
Indian team will take on the hosts in the second ODI of the series on Friday (January 21).
