South Africa vs India 2018, 1st ODI: Hits and Misses

#2 Miss: South African opening pair

Amla and De Kock failed to capitalize on a fairly decent start

When Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to bat first, he was certainly expecting a strong performance from at least one of his regular openers, Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla. However, in spite of getting considerable starts, both could not convert their scores into anything significant.

Amla, with his 16 off 17 deliveries, was the first batsman to be dismissed on the day. He was caught LBW by a swift in-swinger from Jasprit Bumrah. De Kock survived a little longer and made 34 off 40 deliveries before he was sent back to the dressing room by an enthusiastic Yuzvendra Chahal.

If South Africa wish to press their home advantage later in the series, it is imperative that their opening pair performs well in the remainder of the series. De Kock, in particular, needs to step up to the task as soon as possible, considering he is coming off the back of a very forgettable Test series against the same opposition.