ICC Champions Trophy - 5 reasons why South Africa lost to India

5. Middle order

It is a little harsh on the South African batsmen that in spite of getting a total of 300, they have to take the blame in their batting department. The partnership between AB de Villiers and Peterson was potentially match winning as they scored more than the required run-rate and as a result, South Africa were never out of the game with the required rate always in reach till the last few overs. However, it seemed as if in the absence of Jacques Kallis, there was nobody to anchor their innings. When you lose 3 wickets within a the space of 10 runs, as they did, it becomes near impossible to chase a target of over 330 runs. South Africa need to rethink their batting order and provide more defined roles to players.