5 weaknesses of South Africa that India can exploit
SA is the Number 1 Test sideIndia and South Africa share a similar history in terms of their fight for independence. The Test series, aptly titled the Freedom Series, is the first between the two countries in nearly two years. The 72-day tour, the longest South Africa has toured India, will feature four tests, another first for South Africa in India.The series, which has generated a lot of buzz in the past few weeks, will be a challenging one for the Indian team, which is still under transformation after the departure of their batting bulk, and more recently, MS Dhoni.The fact that South Africa is the number one Test team, and has been unbeaten for nine years away from home, gives them the edge. But India can exploit the following five weaknesses of the visiting team:
#1 Inexperienced Top Order:
The South Africans might boast of a star studded middle order, including two of the best batsmen in world cricket at the moment, but the top order looks brittle owing to the inexperience of both the opening batsmen.
After Alviro Petersen quit International cricket earlier this year, the team hasn’t had much opportunity to test the new combination of Dean Elgar and Stiaan Van Zyl. The latter, a veteran of just five tests, has had a solid start to his career, including a century on debut against the West Indies. Dean Elgar has been promoted up the order after Graeme Smith retired last year.
However, the Indians can cash on the fact that the openers have very little experience of playing on subcontinent pitches. Apart from DeVilliers, Amla and Duminy, none of the batsmen have any experience of playing Tests in India.