IND vs SA: South Africa Needs To Find Ways To Counter New Ball: Keshav Maharaj
Published - 29 Sep 2022, 04:58 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:13 AM
Keshav Maharaj, a left-arm spinner for South Africa, believes the Proteas must reconsider their strategy for dealing with the new ball after it swung “prodigiously” in the first few overs of the opening game against India.
In the first T20I here on Wednesday night, Indian pace bowlers Arshdeep Singh (3/32) and Deepak Chahar (2/24) swung the ball both ways to set up an eight-wicket victory for the hosts. South Africa’s batting unit collapsed.
“I don’t think it’s a chapter we need to dwell too much on. However, we do need to chat about how we started,” Maharaj said at the post-match press conference.
“The application we saw upfront, we need to re-assess that and find ways to combat the swing. The ball did swing prodigiously in the first couple of overs.”
A little modification and a shift in perspective, as per Maharaj, who led all scorers for the visitors with a 35-ball 41, might help them counteract the swing.
“Something that we need to address is the new ball, the way we are playing it, there is a lot of swing in it. So maybe just adjust our plan and mindset and take it from there,” he added.
“We were not expecting the ball to swing so hard”: Keshav Maharaj
South Africa was in trouble at 9/5 after the first three overs, but Aiden Markram (25), Wayne Parnell (24), and Maharaj helped to steady the ship before they reached the 100-run barrier.
“We did not expect the ball to swing so hard. It was not an easy surface to bat on; it was two-paced, odd balls skidded through, and there was a lot of tennis ball bounce at different points,” Maharaj said.
“I don’t think we want to dwell too much on what has transpired, but it is something that we can address going forward and hopefully we can rectify that,” he added.
The two teams will meet again in the second T20I in Guwahati on Sunday.
