T20 World Cup 2022: 3 things India must do to beat South Africa in their Super 12 clash
Four teams are still unbeaten in the Super 12 stage of the 2022 T20 World Cup, with two of them set to clash on Sunday, October 30. India and South Africa will be vying for top spot in the Group 2 standings when they meet at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
With wins over Pakistan and the Netherlands, India have four points on the board in the Super 12 stage. The Men in Blue can take massive strides towards a spot in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup if they vanquish South Africa and make it three out of three.
Here are three things India must do to preserve their unbeaten record in the T20 World Cup.
#3 Ravichandran Ashwin must be used smartly
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Ravichandran Ashwin stole a march over Yuzvendra Chahal just ahead of the T20 World Cup, with India presumably looking at his match-ups against Pakistan and South Africa before deciding to pick him in the playing XI. Against the Proteas, who have three left-handers in their top six, Ashwin will have a massive role to play even though the venue is Perth.
Quinton de Kock is known to be a slow starter against spin in the powerplay, with off-spin in particular being his kryptonite. The keeper-batter has been in sizzling form in the T20 World Cup, as has No. 3 Rilee Rossouw. David Miller has made massive strides when it comes to his spin game, but Ashwin will be confident of holding his own against the left-hander.
India's four pacers will have a massive role to play on Sunday. But Ashwin too must be used smartly if the Men in Blue are to beat South Africa.
#2 India's openers must pick their battles wisely
South Africa are bound to play four fast bowlers in Perth on Sunday. While Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada are fixtures in the playing XI, the Proteas are also likely to play two of Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen and Wayne Parnell. Keshav Maharaj will complement the lethal quarter, with the left-arm spinner having done well against India in the past.
India's openers, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, will need to pick their battles wisely and mix caution with aggression. Rahul has been overly tentative in the two games thus far, and he might want to put some early pressure on Rabada. At the same time, the openers must be careful not to go too hard and expose the middle order to Nortje and Co. early in the piece.
#1 India need to find a way to offset the pace factor
As mentioned earlier, South Africa's fast-bowling attack boasts both raw pace and variety. India's, on the other hand, doesn't have any bowlers capable of consistently bowling above the 140-kph mark.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has bowled seven overs in the T20 World Cup thus far and has sent down as many as 30 dot balls, but it could be too easy for the South African batters to pick him apart if there's no swing on offer. Mohammad Shami, ideally used with the new ball, has been pitchforked into a different role.
Arshdeep Singh has scalped five wickets in the tournament and is definitely a smart operator. He ran through the South African top order last month in Thiruvananthapuram and will take heart from the performance. Hardik Pandya, with his hit-the-deck style of bowling and accurate bouncers, might be the side's trump card.
How will the Men in Blue offset the pace factor in Perth? They will need to devise clear bowling plans that harness the strengths of their relatively slower bowlers and execute them to perfection. This could prove to be the difference between a win and a loss against South Africa on Sunday.