India captain Virat Kohli believes his side can use their late World Cup start to their advantage as they prepare to take on South Africa at the AGEAS Bowl on Wednesday.
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While almost every other side will have played two matches already, India are only just about to start their World Cup campaign. It is believed they requested such a late start in a bit to recuperate from a long IPL season.
“I think it is a bit of an advantage in terms of understanding how the games have gone, what the conditions have to offer, what the overcast conditions bring into play, ” said the 30-year-old.
“It’s a totally different ball game altogether what the conditions are at 10.30 in the morning compared to the afternoon. We have a lot to absorb … looking at the other teams play, the teams that have done well, what have they done well and in what phases.
“From that point of view, we have a lot of positives [by] starting after everyone else. Whether a team has played before or not wouldn’t matter on the day. It depends on how the side turns out, what kind of mental set-up they have and we have to be mentally and skillfully stronger than the opposition.”
With Steyn and Ngidi out, Rabada needs to be at his explosive best as the leader of South Africa’s thinning pace attack. The 24-year-old has taken an expensive 2-123 from his two matches in the tournament after breaking down during the IPL. It’s difficult to envisage the Proteas claiming victory without their speedster returning to top form.
Kohli is India’s superstar and the pillar of their batting hopes. His numbers in ODI cricket are sensational and he is one of the greatest one-day batsman in history when it comes to chasing down a total. South Africa know he’s the prized asset and will look to Rabada to remove him early before he inflicts too much damage.
