While chasing India's 287, South Africa is taking it easy at 110 without loss in the second ODI in Boland Park. The result is awaited, and it can go both ways, but it is a repeat of what the Proteas have been doing throughout this series. They have gone with the same strategy in all three Tests and the first ODI.
They know that with patience they can put the highly talented but super individualistic Indian team to test. It has paid really well for the hosts so far. This also makes a neutral spectator question the absence of killer instinct India had shown so prominently in Australia and during the New Zealand series at home. So, what happened there?
Is it the absence of Virat Kohli's aggression at the top? Didn't this all start during the World Test Championship (WTC) when New Zealand planned to counter India's speed attack session by session, and then took the game to their grips in later sessions?
Kohli's tussle with the BCCI had become quite apparent by then, and the team was struggling to stay united, at least in appearance.
The problem kept growing despite individuals winning a session or two occasionally. South Africa won the second and third Tests by making 244 and 212 runs respectively in the fourth innings. That too against one of the best pace attacks in the world right now!
Do you think it was possible with the team that stunned Australia on faster pitches? These are the same players, so it must be the intent.
One Pant here and one Bumrah there, but why is there so much dependency on individuals winning the game? What happened to the team that used to surround the opponent like a pack of wolves just a year ago?
Did that defeat against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup change the dynamics? Or, it's the waiting for a new full-time captain who could tighten the noose again, the way Kohli did.
You can call him authoritarian or controlling or whatever, but the opponents feared him even as captain. Remember how his gestures rattled the English cage!
The team needs to regain that instinct, and truth be told, gone are the days of MS Dhoni's tactical gameplan. Today's it's all about being aggressive and winning the match before time. So, whosoever be the new captain, it has to be the continuation of Kohli's legacy.
