India under pressure to perform in second ODI against South Africa as they need to make a comeback in the series.
The Indian cricket team has to fire on all cylinders if they hope to make a comeback in the ODI series when they take on South Africa at the Holkar stadium here on Wednesday afternoon. India under pressure to perform after losing the T20 series and suffering a narrow defeat in the first ODI in Kanpur on Sunday, both the Indian team and their skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni are under tremendous pressure to pull one back before it gets too late.
Dhoni has never been under such intense pressure
Dhoni has never been under such intense pressure and scrutiny as he is today. He has never looked so vulnerable, as could be seen from his body language in Kanpur where he battled in vain to take India across the line in the final overs. He was philosophical after the match and said it was one of those rare times his gambles as a finisher had failed to come off. But his magic with the bat is on the wane and he is losing his grip on the team.
There is no doubt the entire focus will be on Dhoni. In the past, too, he has faced severe criticism but has hit back by absorbing the pressure and pulling rabbits out of the hat. Once again he has to show the same aggression and authority to be a dominant force.
Unfortunately, he is without strike bowler Ravichandran Ashwin – who is recovering from a side strain suffered in Kanpur – and premier batsman Kohli is out of form. The South Africans will be happy to have India in a tight corner and would strive to make the most of the disarray in the Indian camp, which is still struggling with its death bowling and seeking an ideal combination. They are still working out if Kohli should bat at No. 3 or 4.
Kohli can’t find a better venue than this to break his sequence of low scores, whether he bats at No. 3 or No. 4, as the Holkar stadium pitch has the reputation of producing high scores. In fact, the last two ODI games hosted by MPCA, in Gwalior and in Indore, saw records tumble with the bat.
