Why India lost the first ODI against SA

Well well! The ghost of England and Australia has returned and after making merry in the sub continent, the Indian team was once again thrashed by 141 runs. Though there are quite a few reasons for the same. Here are a few I could jot down.

1.      Over dependence on Mhd Shami: Now here is the rooky bowler all set to prove his worth on the fast and nasty pitches of SA. Shami tried his level best to rip apart the batting line of the hosts and he managed to claim three wickets but the other bowlers like Mohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were hit all across the ground. Neither of the two looked in control for getting rid of the nasty batting line up of the proteans. The bowlers were all over the place. here comes the role of the captain before the match. Why was Umesh Yadav made to warm the bench, he could have come handy considering the conditions of South Africa.

2.      Absence of an experienced opener: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan steeped on to the field as openers and goofed up big time. India clearly missed the services of Gambhir.

3.      Rohit Sharma’s Runout: This gyan comes to me from one of the very eminent coaches of Delhi. “Whenever an opener of any side gets run out 90% of the time the side loses.” This very much got proven yesterday when Rohit Sharma got out.

4.      Dhoni’s batting order: Dhoni comes at Number six and chips in after the situation goes out of control. Leading the side, he needs to promote himself up the order. Even the veterans of cricket have asked him to do so.

5.      Failure of the stalwarts: After the opening pair struggled to score runs, the big names like Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina easily made their way to the pavilion. Though Dhoni tried saving the ship but the damage was done.