SA vs IND, 1st ODI: Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan shine in emphatic Indian win over South Africa
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep’s first five-wicket haul helped India restrict hosts South Africa to 116/10 in 27.3 overs.
Johannesburg: Pacers Arshdeep Singh bowled a dream first spell and found an ally in the equally threatening Avesh Khan as a second-string Indian team completely destroyed South Africa by eight wickets in the opening ODI here on Sunday.
India now leads the three-match series 1-0.
Having started the match without a single wicket in his previous three ODI appearances, Arshdeep more than made up for it with his maiden five-wicket haul as South Africa were all out for 116 in 27.3 overs. The target was surpassed in just 16.4 overs.
Playing their first 50-over match after the World Cup final, it looked like Arshdeep (5/37 in 10 overs) and Avesh (4/27 in 8 overs) had picked up a cue from their seniors Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah as a The quality of the Proteas batting line-up is made to look like novices on a track that offered a lot of help due to underlying moisture.
In reply, debutant B Sai Sudharshan (55 not out off 43 balls) showed why he is rated so highly during his time on the wicket. He made the chase look like a breeze.
The wiry left-hander looked elegant and upright while driving uphill and looked strong off the back foot as he pulled the short ball. He took a big step forward against spinners, which is characteristic of a good player. The drive to Tabraiz Shamsi was a sight to behold.
Sai had Shreyas Iyer (52 off 45 balls) for company, who looked good, something that augurs well for India ahead of the upcoming Test series.
However, the story of the day was how Indian pacers rattled South Africa as the ball bounced around for the first hour and a half, spelling doom for the home side.
Arshdeep would certainly feel good if he was criticized a lot for his inconsistency in the shortest format.
In their last meeting at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, South Africa were bowled out for 83 under the lights on a slow deck, but Aiden Markram never imagined he and his men would be bullied on the ‘Bull Ring’, a safe haven for them in white ball cricket. Only three players who have played in the World Cup finals – skipper KL Rahul, wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer – are part of this current eleven, and India’s back-up pacers gave a good account of themselves.
The two Indian pacers bowled it on and kept most of the South African batters in the crease. In fact, both had hat-tricks with dismissals after consecutive deliveries.
Arshdeep would get more credit when he blew away the top order in the first Powerplay with four wickets and then left it to Avesh, who bowled fast and full and rushed the batters for pace.
In between, Avesh occasionally slipped in a short ball for the tailenders, who were unsure whether to go on the front foot or the back foot.
It started with Reeza Hendricks (0), who dragged a delivery that was diagonally over the right-hander back onto the stumps and the dangerous Rassie van de Dussen (0) must have expected a way out, but got one that shot back from middle stump.
Tony de Zorzi (28 off 22 balls) switched arms and Mukesh Kumar (0/46 in 7 overs), who was having a bad day, went for a few before Arshdeep showed his variation by digging one short and the ball ballooned for the skipper Rahul to complete an easy catch.
However, the wicket that completely broke the home side’s back was Heinrich Klaasen’s dismissal (6), which would have made even the great Wasim Akram proud.
Arshdeep bowled one slightly backwards but swung his wrists in a way that it turned into a vicious in-dipper that clipped the leg stump brace, leaving the right-hander completely dazed.
The end of Powerplay did not end the Proteas’ misery as skipper Markram played on, completely beaten by his pace. David Miller (2) also fell prey to the relentless pressure to deliver a rideable length delivery, while Wiaan Mulder and Keshav Maharaj found the speed of the deliveries too high to handle.
It was Andile Phehlukwayo, whose 33 came at number 8 to take the home side past the 100-point mark before Arshdeep, in his second spell, completed his coveted five-for.