ICC Champions Trophy - 5 reasons why South Africa lost to India

The opening game of the Champions Trophy stood up to its stature as we saw India and South Africa contest a high-scoring game with some outstanding performances in all three departments of the game. But if there were some positives, there were some disappointments too. Arguably the best fast-bowler in the world missed out on the game with an injury that considerably affected the bowling strength of the Proteas. If that was not enough to dent South Africa’s chances, Morne Morkel too sustained a strain in his left leg during the course of the match and was unable to complete his 10 overs. The result does not augur well for South Africa who have had a traditional vulnerability to slip-up in big competitions. They will have to come all guns blazing in their other two fixtures against Pakistan and West Indies.

On the other hand, India continued their good run with the bat from the warm-up games. Putting up a score in excess of 300 for the third consecutive time, they have dispelled doubts regarding the ability of their young batsmen to adapt to English conditions. Another impressive factor in the game for India was their fielding effort that backed up their batting performance. The young blood in the side showed great energy and awareness, making South Africa earn every run in their uphill chase. It is important for India that they cash-up on this advantage against the weaker fielding sides such as Pakistan. At the moment, India look good to go ahead to the next stage if they do not goof up.

Meanwhile, there are a number of areas where the Proteas can improve as they prepare to take the challenges of the tournament head on. Here is a list of 5 reasons why the Proteas lost out against India and how they can recover.

1. Dent to the bowling-strength:

Captain AB de Villiers was quick to point out to the loss of Morne Morkel to a strain injury during the course of the match as a ‘turning point’ of the game. However, the loss of Dale Steyn prior to the start of the game, according to most critics, was a bigger dent. The South African bowling line-up, coming into this tournament was rated as one of the finest along with Pakistan and England. The conditions too were on their side and with two new balls, they had the potential to run through any side. However, once you remove Dale Steyn from the side, matters seem completely different, especially with Tsotsobe proving to be ineffective in some recent performances.