Why South Africa lost the ODI series against India
“Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth”
- Mike Tyson
The quote above sums up what happened to South Africa in the ODI series against India. Who would have thought that after winning the Test series 2-1, South Africa would be humiliated in the 50-over series. They were not only battered by the visitors 5-1 but also lost their No. 1 rank to them.
From losing their key players due to injury to having a captain just two ODIs old. From failing in the batting department to trying new things match after match in the bowling department, South Africa were never able to find answers to the questions Indian camp threw at them.
Here are few things that cost South Africa this series.
#1 Injury laden South Africa
Before the beginning of the series, South Africa were considered favourites with the likes of Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, David Miller, JP Duminy and captain Faf du Plessis in their ranks.
However, they lost AB de Villiers due to an injury on the last day of the final Test match. Things got worse for them when in-form captain Faf du Plessis was ruled out after the first match as well.
With no AB and Du Plessis in the team, they suffered one more blow as they lost their primary choice wicket-keeper De Kock due to a wrist injury.