Grahaml wrote:You won't run out De Villiers and Miller in the same innings very often. SA are definitely too reliant on De Villiers and Amla when it comes to batting but for me the worrying sign (if you are a SA fan of course) is how venomless their bowling looks. Including, dare we say, Steyn. Philander hurt himself but looks pedestrian and Morkel looks like he's trying not to go for more than 60 of 10 through the middle overs which is about what you want from a part timer or all rounder. Duminy's batting is just sub par. I know he came out a few years ago and blitzed us but looking back that seems like temporary form and not permanent class. Parnell is not a #7.
I think SA would look better with another striker at #6 and perhaps swap Miller and Du Plessis. De Kock and Miller give them a chance for a strong start, Amla, De Villiers and Du Plessis the others in the top 5 give them fall backs if those two fail. Not sure who could come in for Duminy but surely someone would be better. Botha is a clever player and in one day cricket his intelligence and all round ability make him hard to leave out. I doubt they can (and certain they won't) call him up but they should look at it. Thought Abbott looked good recently against us and better than Morkel for sure. Too late you imagine to ring in such wholesale changes, but I'd be more worried about that SA lineup than this one.
Still not sold on India. SA's pace bowling is inexplicably down so batting against a combination of Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, Johnson and Faulkner will be a totally different world for Dhawan, Kohli and Rahane. Still don't rate the Indian quicks either.
Pitch conditions might have helped India
Had this game been on bouncier decks like Gabba and Perth , perhaps SA might have been more competitive
SA went for broke playing 5 front line bowlers v India
Didnt help this time, who knows next time