Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir have been identified as three key players for the Proteas as they face India at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday, writes KHALID MOHIDIN.
Aiden Markram
If there were ever any game that the Proteas needed their prodigious talent to step up, it would be this one. Markram’s pre-World Cup preparations were with Hampshire in Southampton, their home ground being the Rose Bowl. He scored 130 and 88 in Southampton in the Royal One Day Cup, which will give him the edge in terms of understanding the conditions and wicket. He also had some inspired bowling performances at the ground. Markram comes off a measured 45 against Bangladesh, which will give him some momentum leading into the clash against India. If Ottis Gibson and Faf du Plessis allow their players to play their natural game, Markam and Quinton de Kock will aim to be free-flowing in the power play. Whether Markram opens or bats at three depends on Hashim Amla’s fitness.
READ: ’We have to be better’ – Ottis Gibson
Kagiso Rabada
With Dale Steyn ruled out of the tournament, Kagiso Rabada has become an, even more, precious bowler to the Proteas. Beuran Hendricks comes in with two ODIs to his name and will immediately be thrown into the deep end. Rabada will need to be at his best if the Proteas are to beat India and lead the Proteas’ bowlers. The 24-year-old must take his coach Ottis Gibson’s advice and play to his strengths rather than alter his natural game based on who the Proteas are playing. Rabada left the IPL tournament early due to a stiff back, and was allowed to rest and recover before the World Cup. His match rhythm was not at 100 percent in the opening two games and the Proteas will hope that the first two games were enough for the speedster to find his mojo.
PREDICTING: Starting Proteas XI vs India
Imran Tahir
The Proteas’ star leggy needs an enhanced performance against India. Tahir has also had experience playing in Southampton, and will need to use this knowledge to give him some insight into how he could dominate the opposition. India’s players are obviously used to playing against spin, and Tahir will need to work extra hard to strike against their talented batsmen. But strike he must. With the Proteas losing Lungi Ngidi to injury and forced to play an almost-fit Steyn, they need their best strike bowler of this moment to take a bulk of the wickets. Playing India hasn’t brought Tahir success in the past. His average against them is 51.80, remarkably higher than against any other team. He played 12 ODIs against them and only has 10 wickets – a bit of a worry come Wednesday.
Who wins? Our team makes their picks
Photo: Supplied by ICC
