New Delhi: Former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock shared his assessment of India’s Super 8 defeat to the Proteas, saying the co-hosts failed to adapt to the conditions in Ahmedabad and did not recognize the “new ball challenge with seam movement”.
“South Africa ended India’s 12-match unbeaten run in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a resounding 76-run win at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
Indian fans in Ahmedabad react to loss to South Africa | T20 World Cup
India made an early impact as Jasprit Bumrah produced a brilliant opening spell of 2/7. However, the Proteas bounced back strongly with a 97-run encounter off just 51 balls between David Miller and Dewald Previs. Tristan Stubbs then provided the finishing touch with an unbeaten 44 off 24 runs, taking South Africa past 180.“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 the start when they lost the wickets of Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickleton early on, but they didn’t stop adapting to the conditions. It only worked out for them when Breves and Miller played together.”“Tristan Stubbs used his batting power well in the final over to help South Africa reach 187.
“India’s chase could have been easy if they had played cautiously in the beginning,” Pollock said.In response, India never found momentum in the powerplay and slumped to 31/3 after six overs. South Africa maintained control over the powerful Indian batting unit, eventually dismissing them for 111 in 18.5 overs.“The first six overs were the toughest because the ball wasn’t getting to the bat well. Instead, they chased the bowlers right from the start. You can’t do that on that kind of pitch while chasing a big total. They lost two early and were under pressure straight away. 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 with the seam move,” he added.India must now win their remaining matches against Zimbabwe and West Indies to keep their semi-final hopes alive, especially with their net run rate falling to -3.8.
