Game Plan: Cracking the AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla code

Come 2nd October and a new chapter will unfold when the two dominant forces of world cricket, India and South Africa, lock-horns. The hosts India will look to dictate terms from the outset, as expectations will be pinned highly on them. There will be two thorns which can sting like no other; the two most prolific run getters in world cricket, Hashim Amla and Ab de Villiers. Both have the highest average as partners in One-Day Internationals (ODIs); in 36 innings, the duo has amassed 2705 runs at a mind-numbing average of 82. The Indian team management is already looking at the options, possibilities of decoding these mysteries to draw first blood in the series. Even before the master strategists come with a fix, Ankit Banerjee decodes and simplifies things for Team India and presents them with a blueprint in his piece.

The South African team since yesteryears has never been pushovers; playing against them has always been a battle of the equals for India. This team is no different and the striking feature is that they are damn good away from home as well and that is where the litmus test lies.

India, however, is a totally different ball game considering the conditions and tracks. Of late, with the advent of the Indian Premier League, that factor is to some extent nullified. De Villiers will feel home when he plays in India and Hashim Amla may not be a part of the league but with the kind of wrists he has and his past record in India, he will be a man to watch out for. Another quick point, AB de Villiers will hurt India more as he has a 360 degree game and Amla is a fluent stroke-player, good old school.

Add Cricket Country as a Preferred Source

So, it is very important to draw first blood and get the all important initiative and momentum. Well, momentum is bound to play a big role as it is a long series.

The tricky part is AB, as he is known will be more lethal than Amla because of a simple reason that once the latter is gone you know the former is still new and fresh and he can be the game changer within a matter of overs.

So here is the blueprint Team India should abide by, if they are to succeed:

AB de Villiers: He can murder you on his day with real creativity and is a player full of self belief. He oozes with so much of it that when he comes down the track to pacers, he almost every time goes through with the shot even if he is in an awkward position.  He averages in excess of 50 in ODIs and Tests, which is mind boggling to say the least. His ODI strike rate is 99.16, and add to it his consistency and he becomes the ‘biggest threat’ for Team India. In the T20 scene, he again shocks you with a staggering strike rate of 125.51.

Mantra: Short at pace when he chips down the track, anticipate, it should not become predictable. Use it judicially as a surprise weapon.

Go-to bowler: Umesh Yadav, this talent generates some serious pace.

Hashim Amla: This South African run machine scores heaps of runs all around the world. In his initial days, he was labelled as someone who was fit for Tests and a tad-too watchful and circumspect for ODIs. But over the last few years, he has taken limited-overs batting to a new horizon. In ODIs, Amla is fastest to 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000 runs, which should bury both the doubt and the doubters. He has staggering figures in all formats. He averages 50+ in Tests and ODIs and has a staggering strike rate of 89.55 in the shorter version. In the newest format of T20, he has a gorgeous strike rate of 121.69. All these compiled together makes him a real tough ‘nut to crack’.

Mantra: Ball nipping in to him as he has a tendency of leaving a gate between the bat and pad. Also try to hit top of off stump as he tends to move across to flick deliveries.

Go-to bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar/ Mohit Sharma as the former gets to swing the ball both ways creating a doubt in the batsman’s mind enticing the gap. Sharma on the other hand is nippy and believes in length, accuracy and seam movement ideal to create the false shot if Amla looks to shuffle to flick.

All said and done, it seems to be the ‘clash of the titans’, a mouth watering prospect that awaits all. For the cricket fans, it is time to mark the dates in calendar and schedule the October itinerary.

(A cricket geek to the tee, Ankit Banerjee smokes and snorts it all day long. The romance with the sport incepted since the 1996 World Cup semi-final. He is a winner of the 2011 edition of the All-India college cricket quiz.)