🏏South Africa Tour of India - 1st ODI - Lucknow - 06/10/2022 at 1:30 PM IST🏏
South Africa seek crucial Super League points against second-string India
The visitors are likely to try and field their strongest attack in what is a must-win series
The good news is that this series is not without context. South Africa will be playing for World Cup Super League points. And they are desperate to get them. The better news - for them - is that they are doing it against a second-string Indian side that doesn't have too much riding on these three matches, and could be ripe for the picking.
But the bad news? There isn't any really, except if you were hoping to see India's best ODI players on display over the next six days. Oh, and there is a lot of rain around - especially for the first two matches - which could put a dampener on the whole thing.
According to the visitors' opening batter Janneman Malan, they are approaching this series as if they are "in a submarine" to try to block out the distractions caused by Mark Boucher's imminent departure as head coach, the disappointment over captain Temba Bavuma's non-purchase at the SA20, and the concerns over his form leading onto the T20 World Cup (more on that later).
Instead of pondering on all that, South Africa are applying a laser-like focus to the task at hand - getting themselves as close as possible to automatic qualification for the ODI World Cup next year, which will be played in India and where they are getting a small taste of the kind action they don't want to miss out on.
Since full-capacity crowds were allowed back into Indian grounds with South Africa's visit for five T20Is in June earlier this year, the stadiums have been packed with the noise and colour the Covid-19 pandemic robbed us of. It is those people that India's coach Rahul Dravid - who will not be in charge of the ODI team as he makes an early exit for Australia - told the broadcasters after the third T20I that India have relished playing for. They have had a glut of white-ball home fixtures - which, you could argue, will be lost in the bigger picture - but India coach Dravid recognised the joy it brought to spectators. Context matters, of course, but cricket can also be just cricket.
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