South Africa suffered their heaviest defeat in World Cup history against India on Sunday, and the journey gets tougher for a side that has all the firepower to win the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Going ahead, AB de Villiers’ men face an uphill task in their remaining four league matches, feels Devarchit Varma.
No team other than South Africa — not a single one among the other 13 participating in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 — would have got as royal a send-off from as vast a sea of fans and well-wishers before leaving for the tournament. After all, South Africa feel that this is their best chance to win the World Cup trophy — a feat which the best of their men have failed to achieve. Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
South Africa began their campaign on a rusty note when Zimbabwe put up a fight in their opening match, and despite posting a target of 340 they were able to win by a margin of only 62 runs. The margin of victory is important here because Zimbabwe had a terrible run till then, and South Africa were expected to be a lot better with the ball. Top 10 bowlers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
The match against India was certainly among the biggest encounters in the early stages of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. On one side were the defending champions, who had only just scraped past their arch rivals, and on the other were the title contenders and firm favourites. But the outcome of the match — India’s win by a huge margin of 130 runs — was indeed surprising and the manner in which the South Africans surrendered against the spirited Indians is a matter of concern. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE
South Africa aren’t a side that lacks on any front as far as skills are concerned, but the defeat to India highlighted that they are still mentally fallible. South African batsmen, chasing 308 against India, never looked like getting any momentum When India challenged them by taking a couple of wickets, the Proteas gave up the chase. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
Another factor is the margin of the defeat. South Africa lost by more than 100 runs in a tournament where even the “minnows” aren’t losing as badly. South Africa have got off to rusty start in the tournament; the top order had flopped against Zimbabwe before JP Duminy and David Miller came to the rescue, and then their bowling and fielding was poor against India. These factors will linger in captain AB de Villiers and coach Russell Domingo’s minds for a while. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
South Africa have a lot of work to do mentally. They have struggled on big occasions not because of a lack of skill, but because of how they handle pressure. For now, the cricket fraternity will perceive this South African side as being similar to its previous versions — immensely talented but mentally feeble. Only South African cricketers can put them out of their own misery. And there is no bigger stage to do it than this.
(Devarchit Varma is a reporter with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)
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