5 players who proved their critics wrong in the India-SA series
Dhoni gave a thumping reply to his critics with batIt had been one humdinger of an ODI series between India and South Africa until the Proteas stamped their authority in the final ODI by a massive victory of 214 runs. However, during the first 4 matches, it was nothing short of a warzone out in the middle with players from both sides battling it out to help their respective teams taste success.A remarkable aspect of this series turned out to be the way in which certain players from both sides sent strong performance-based messages to their critics. Let’s take a look at 5 such players.
#5 Ajinkya Rahane
Despite being one of the most consistent batsmen for Team India over at least the past couple of years, Ajinkya Rahane has still not been able to call himself a regular in the ODI team.
It has been a funny kind of situation for the Mumbai batsman; while on one hand he has not been getting a game every now and then, on the other he was made the captain of the team on a Zimbabwe tour during which most senior players sat out.
Meanwhile, regular captain MS Dhoni has been regularly harping about the fact that Rahane lacks in an important aspect of ODI batting - rotating the strike. And this has been one of the reasons why the skipper is always unsure about which position needs to be given to him.
The dilemma over Rahane’s batting position continued even in the recently concluded series against South Africa, where he batted at numbers 3, 4 and 6. However, as far as criticism about strike rotation is concerned, the talented young batsman has silenced his critics at least for now.
This series saw him look far more busier in the middle right from the outset and he built some vital partnerships in the middle order; when the situation demanded, he also played the big shots. Although he did not get a century, he has scored an 80, a couple of 50s and a 40 as well.
His 149-run partnership with Rohit Sharma in the 1st ODI kept the Indian chase of 304 very much alive. The 51 that he scored in the 2nd ODI was also crucial as it helped Team India up the ante at a crucial stage. Equally brilliant was the 104 partnership that he had with Virat Kohli helped put India in the driver’s seat after having lost two quick wickets.
In the 5th and final ODI, with India needing 439 for a series win, he brought out his IPL avatar to the crease as he smashed his way to 87 from just 58 deliveries and gave India a glimmer of hope through a 114-run stand with Shikhar Dhawan. Unfortunately for him, there was no other Indian batsman who was able to match his heroics and India lost by 214 runs.