Mohali: They lost the ODI and T20 series, they blamed the pitch in the final one-dayer, but come Thursday, no excuses will work when India take on South Africa in Mohali – their happy hunting ground.
The last time India lost here, was against West Indies in 1994 – the first Test match held in the ground. Nonetheless, let’s have a look at the South African players who could make a difference to India’s plans.
AB de Villiers
The superman stands tall like a wall. From the onset, he tore apart the Indian bowling attack. Even the fans chanted his name repeatedly across all venues. AB was the Man of the Series (ODI) which concluded recently, with 358 runs, that featured three centuries. South Africa won their first ODI series in India under his captaincy. In five matches, his strike-rate read 134.58 with 20 sixes.
Imran Tahir
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Tahir could be a menace for the hosts considering the spinning tracks in the sub-continent. He kept troubling Mahendra Singh Dhoni and company throughout the T20 and ODI series with crucial breakthroughs. In the final, when Dhoni tried to build up the innings, it was Tahir who cleaned him up. Though Dhoni will not be seen in Tests, rest of the team need to be careful against the Proteas leg-spinner.
Hashim Amla
Amla remained quit in the limited-over format. Now, he will don the whites with the skipper’s hat. Can he regain his form? If he does, he can take on any bowling attack. Amla has an astounding average of 52.48 in 84 Tests with 23 tons, 28 half-centuries. Most importantly, he is a fine player of the spin. He couldn’t bat much in the last Test series against Bangladesh as rain played spoilsport.
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