Aakash Chopra predicts favorable conditions for South Africa in the upcoming ODI series, expressing a belief that South Africa’s momentum from the World Cup could make them slight favorites.
Team India has arrived for their tour in South Africa, opening with a 3-match T20I series followed by an equal number of ODIs before diving into the red-ball format. Notably, senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah have opted out of the white-ball segment, paving the way for younger talents to take charge. Suryakumar Yadav leads the squad in T20Is, while KL Rahul captains in the ODIs.
India’s previous tour of South Africa ended in disappointment, losing the Test series 2-1 despite winning the first match by 113 runs. The ODIs were worse, resulting in a 4-0 whitewash under KL Rahul’s captaincy. Consequently, Virat Kohli resigned as Test captain.
Reflecting on India’s recent dominance over South Africa in the World Cup, Aakash Chopra opines that conditions might tilt in favor of the hosts this time. Chopra anticipates a challenging series for India, acknowledging South Africa’s solid performance in the World Cup and naming them slight favorites due to favorable conditions.
“I don’t see a chance of a clean sweep anywhere. We are not playing a very good team in ODIs and they are also not playing a very good team. However, the conditions will still favor them and they have had a decent World Cup. I see South Africa as slight favorites in this entire series,” Chopra said in his YouTube video.
I could be completely wrong and I hope I am wrong, but I am seeing a few more matches going in favour of South Africa. It can be 5-3,” he added.
South Africa’s ODI squad also includes some absentees like Quinton de Kock, Gerald Coetzee, and Kagiso Rabada, potentially making way for newcomers Nandre Burger, Mihlali Mpongwana, and Ottniel Baartman, eyeing their debut opportunities.
Last Updated on December 8, 2023
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