If India Win The Series, I Would Say Well Played As They Deserve It : Dale Steyn

The fourth T20I of the five-match series between India and South Africa was called off due to excessive fog. Speaking on ‘Cricket Live’, JioStar experts Robin Uthappa and Dale Steyn reflected on South Africa’s competitiveness on the tour, India’s overall consistency, key tactical moments in the series so far, and individual performances that have stood out.

Speaking on ‘Cricket Live’, JioStar expert Robin Uthappa reflected on South Africa’s performance so far: “South Africa have played very competitively, but they’ve been a bit hot and cold in the T20I series. That said, it has still been very entertaining. I thought they bowled really well, while their batting has been a little inconsistent. It’s going to be an interesting contest because they will want to level the series. Overall, they’ve had a great tour. They dominated the Test series and were competitive in the white-ball formats as well. India came back strongly, but South Africa will want to win the next one and head home with their heads held high.”

On Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management: “He is an absolute match-winner, and managing his workload is crucial. Fast bowling is probably the toughest skill in the sport, and Bumrah does it at high pace with a demanding action. You want to protect that, but at the same time, you want him to play enough cricket. We’ve seen glimpses of his brilliance, and hopefully he can build consistency over the next few games heading into the World Cup.”

Speaking on ‘Cricket Live’, JioStar expert Dale Steyn assessed both teams’ performances across formats: “I think it’s been a great series, and South Africa have probably exceeded expectations. Winning the Test series was outstanding, and they were very competitive in the ODIs. They might feel they let the first ODI slip after winning the toss and losing early wickets while chasing. Had they won that, they could have finished the ODI series 2–1. That said, out of the three T20Is so far, India have been the better team. They bowled South Africa out cheaply in one game, conceded runs in another, but then dominated again in Dharamshala. If India win the series, I would say well played — they would deserve it. But I’m hoping South Africa turn it around. They’ve had a wonderful tour.”

On Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma:  “I remember Shubman Gill scoring heavily against SRH when I was the bowling coach there. He played beautifully. Even when you’re on the losing side, you enjoy watching someone like him bat. He makes it look very easy — elegant and pleasing on the eye. Abhishek Sharma hits a lot of sixes and plays fearless shots, but I personally enjoy watching a classical cover drive or someone walking down the wicket and hitting straight back over the top. When Gill gets going, it’s great to watch.”