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Proteas hold the aces against the Men in Blue
Proteas Hold The Aces against The Men In Blue. Now that the euphoria surrounding India\'s victory over Pakistan has abated a bit, it\'s time to focus on the defending champion\'s next game.
The Men in Blue, who take on South Africa in their Pool ‘B’ engagement on Sunday, have never beaten the Proteas in a World Cup game from three earlier meetings
Now that the euphoria surrounding India's victory over Pakistan has abated a bit, it's time to focus on the defending champion's next game. On Sunday, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Co takes on South Africa, without any doubt their toughest opponents in the group, in their second Pool B match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
If Pakistan went into the game in Adelaide under pressure, having never defeated India in a World Cup game, India will be under similar pressure this time around at the MCG. The Men in Blue have never beaten the Proteas in a World Cup game.
Each of South Africa's three wins was equally convincing.
The first encounter at the Adelaide Oval in 1992, shortly after South Africa re-entered the international fold, saw the Kepler Wessels-led side winning a rain-truncated match by six wickets.
When the two teams played next in Hove in 1999, South Africa cruised ahead with a comprehensive four-wicket win.
The most recent encounter was at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur in 2011.
Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers nullified a magnificent effort by Sachin Tendulkar (111), helping the Proteas to a three-wicket victory.
Though India won the tournament, the loss was the lone blot for the co-host in what was otherwise an excellent campaign.
India does not have a superior head-to-head record against the South Africans, which Pakistan could boast of ahead of the Adelaide game.
In the 70 ODIs between the two sides, beginning with the Eden Gardens encounter in November 1991, India has won only 25 while the Proteas have been triumphant in 42 games.
The current South African side also seems qualitatively better than the Men in Blue in all respects.
The Proteas' batting line-up, which includes Amla, de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, J P Duminy and David Miller, is almost at par, if not better, than India's famed middle order.
When it comes to bowling and fielding, truth be told, Team India stands nowhere close to the South Africans.
Taken from any angle and under any cricketing yardstick, Dhoni and Co has a herculean task ahead of them on Sunday. If they win, the top spot in the group will more or less be assured for Team India. Should that not happen then the defending champion will be up against a formidable opponent in the knockout stage.
