Mohinder Amarnath asserts brittle middle-order banks on Kohli and Dhawan

Former India all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath applauded India team’s historic series win in South Africa. Further, India won their first-ever bilateral series on South African soil by 4-1 with one match still to played in Centurion on Friday

India banked on Rohit Sharma’s century followed by a clinical bowling performance from the wrist-spinners to script history. They defeated host South Africa by 73 runs – to claim the unassailable lead of 4-1 in the series.

Skipper Virat Kohli has led the batting with 429 runs in five innings, including two centuries and a half-century.

While the left-handed batsman Shikhar Dhawan has registered 305 runs in five outings. After four failures, Rohit Sharma scored his 17th ODI century in the last match, while Ajinkya Rahane has one fifty in four innings.

Moreover, Mahendra Singh Dhoni managed 69 in the same number of games and Hardik Pandya scored 26 in four games.

Too much dependent on Kohli and Dhawan:

While praising Rohit’s ability to bounce back, Amarnath seemed to worry about India’s middle-order.

“One of the best things to come out of Tuesday’s game is Rohit Sharma’s knock. He seemed a different player. The aggression was there, and he didn’t shy away from hitting those short balls which were bothering him earlier on this tour. He is one of those players who can convert a start into a big inning, and this was a crucial one as India needed someone in the top order to stand up. So far it has been Virat or Dhawan, who have been the main pillars on this tour,” wrote Amarnath in TOI.

“The Indian middle order is still a bit of a worry for me. So far, they have not really come to terms with the opponents, and the worry is that if the top-order fails, then what will happen? They need to be more consistent so that they can take the responsibility on themselves, should the situation demand,” added Amarnath.

Mohinder Amarnath disappointed with Dhawan’s dismissal:

Amarnath seemed disappointed with Dhawan’s dismissal after a quickfire 23-ball 34. He holed out to a short ball from Kagiso Rabada to a deep square leg region.

“I was a bit disappointed at the way Shikhar got out. He should start applying himself like Virat and look to carry deep into the innings. He’s a fantastic player and has done exceptionally well but he can do better. If he can stay till the end, things can only get better for India,” wrote Amarnath.

Wrist-spinners are very important:

The young duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal has done the bulk of the job for India in the ODI series. As a result, they claimed 30 wickets together so far. Admitting the wrist-spinners are very important part of the game, Amarnath said the duo have done well right through.

“Wrist spinners are a very important part of the team, especially overseas where wickets are not usually conducive to spin. These two boys, Kuldeep and Chahal, have done very well right through. It is their bowling that changed the complexion of the whole series, especially if you take into consideration the number of wickets they have taken and the time taken to pick them up,” wrote Amarnath.

“Kuldeep and Chahal have managed to create doubt in their minds, leaving them to wonder how to tackle them. This has been the difference and something that has helped India win in South Africa,” Kuldeep concluded.

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