SA vs IND 2018: Proteas Needs to Tackle Wrist Spinners to Match India - Neil McKenzie

Former South African batsman Neil McKenzie has admitted South Africa needs to tackle India’s wrist spinner to match India in the ongoing ODI series.

The new spinning duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav has been doing exceptionally well for the last one year.

Kuldeep and Chahal shared five wickets in the first ODI in Durban to restrict South Africa to a mere 269. While Kuldeep finished with three for 34, Chahal ended the match with figures of two for 45. The duo kept it tight in the middle overs for the host.

Chasing 270 to win, Virat Kohli led from the front with a magnificent 112, well cushioned by Ajinkya Rahane’s 79. India is currently leading the six-match series 1-0.

“You know what sort of total you need at Durban and losing wickets at regular intervals didn’t help South Africa. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav bowled very well,” McKenzie said to PTI.

“The Indian pacers had asked questions upfront with bounce, and then the two wrist spinners came into play. They tied South Africa down, cut off the runs and then got two big scalps of Quinton de Kock and David Miller,” McKenzie added.

McKenzie further added the South African batsmen needs to counter Indian wrist spinner well to cut down the element of surprise.

“South African batsmen wouldn’t have seen a lot of these leggies, so they will need to go back and do their homework. They need to start countering this wrist spin from the next ODI,” McKenzie said.

“The partnership between Faf du Plessis and Chris Morris got South Africa back in the game, but they needed more firepower at the back end. It didn’t happen because they kept losing wickets at regular intervals,” he added.

McKenzie further lauded both the captains for their magnificent efforts.

“I think it was an unbelievable inning from Faf (du Plessis). It was a special knock, given how South Africa was losing wickets but 270 on that surface was not good enough.”

“He (Kohli) played a great inning and mixed it up with a lot of aggression. He doesn’t go from 1st gear to 5th gear straightaway. Virat has a lot of gears. It was a terrific knock, and it is always good to see two captains leading from the front,” McKenzie concluded.

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