New Delhi: Former South Africa captain Sean Pollock has shared his assessment of India’s Super Eight loss to the Proteas, saying the hosts failed to adapt to the conditions in Ahmedabad and failed to appreciate the “challenges of the new ball with seam movement”.“South Africa ended India’s 12-match unbeaten run in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a 76-run win at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
India made an impact right from the start with Jasprit Bumrah taking a brilliant start of 2/7. However, the Proteas bounced back with a 97-run stand off just 51 balls between David Miller and Dewald Brevis. Tristan Stubbs then added the final touch with an unbeaten 44 off 24 deliveries to help South Africa cross the 180-run mark.“India have not adapted well to the conditions in Ahmedabad. South Africa have played three games here so they know what to expect. Yes, they struggled initially as they lost the early wickets of Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickton, but they did not stop adjusting to the conditions. It was only when Brevis and Miller batted together that things turned in their favour.“Tristan Stubbs finally made the most of his batting ability and helped South Africa reach 187. Had India batted carefully from the start, their chase would have been simple,” Pollock said.In response, India never found momentum in the powerplay and fell to 31/3 after six overs. South Africa continued to dominate the strong Indian batting team and eventually defeated India by 111 runs in 18.5 overs.“The first six overs were the toughest as the ball didn’t land well with the bat. Instead, they chased the bowlers from the start. You can’t do that on a pitch like this while chasing a big score. They lost two early wickets and were immediately under pressure. Sometimes, you have to be smart and patient. India didn’t change their approach. They didn’t realize that the new ball would be the biggest challenge for seam movement,” he added.India must now win their remaining matches against Zimbabwe and West Indies to keep their semi-final hopes alive, especially as their net rating slips to -3.8.
