New Delhi, Feb 23 Former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock gave his analysis of India's Super 8 stage loss to the Proteas and stated that the co-host didn't adapt well to the conditions in Ahmedabad and failed to realise the "new ball challenge with the seam moving around."
South Africa snapped India's 12-match unbeaten streak at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup as they handed the defending champions a 76-run defeat at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
After India dominated early as Jasprit Bumrah produced a stellar opening spell of 2-7, the Proteas scripted a comeback through a 97-run partnership off 51 balls between David Miller and Dewald Brevis. A late charge from Tristan Stubbs, who knocked off an unbeaten 44 off 24 balls, took South Africa past the 180-mark.
“India didn't adapt well to the conditions in Ahmedabad. South Africa had played three matches here already, so they knew what to expect. Yes, they struggled at first when they lost the wickets of Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton early, but they did not stop adjusting as per the conditions. It was only when Brevis and Miller batted together that things worked for them.
"Tristan Stubbs put his batting power to good use in the end to help South Africa reach 187. India’s chase would have been simple had they played carefully in the beginning," Pollock
In response, India failed to launch in the first six overs and were already in trouble at 31/3 after the powerplay. South Africa kept a lid on the explosive and deep-running Indian batting line-up as the Men in Blue were bundled out for 111 in 18.5 overs.
"The first six overs was the toughest because the ball wasn't coming onto the bat nicely. Instead, they went after the bowlers from the very first over. You can't do that on this kind of a pitch while chasing a big total. They lost two early wickets and were under pressure right away. Sometimes, you have to be smart and patient. India didn't change their approach. They didn't realise that the new ball would be the biggest challenge with the seam moving around," he added.
The defending champions will now have to win their remaining matches against Zimbabwe and the West Indies to stay in contention for the semi-finals, especially with their net run rate now at -3.8.
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