What to look out for when India lock horns with South Africa?

I’m not going to go into detail about how Virat Kohli’s form has been or how well Dale Steyn has been bowling; instead, I go into the hard facts and look at players who could make an unexpected impact and what to expect and look out for when a resilient Proteas outfit play the in-form Indians in the second semi-final of the WC T20 in Dhaka.

#1 Yuvraj Singh

The southpaw seems to have found his form when it matters the most. Yuvraj is known to be a big game player, and his form will have a huge impact on the match. He looked good but not at his best in the game against the Australians. This will definitely worry the South Africans. If Yuvraj finds his best form, even the likes of Steyn and Morne Morkel will struggle to keep him at bay. So the question is, has the sleeping lion woken up at the right time?

#2 Will South Africa shed the chokers tag?

Losing World Cup knock-out games is something that the South Africans have specialized in over the years. For some strange reason, they can’t seem to get the job done in crunch games. They have a huge opportunity to make a statement against an in-form Indian side which has been unstoppable. AB De Villiers and JP Duminy will no doubt play an integral part in their search for a berth in the final. Every time the Proteas reach this stage, they generally are in the form of their lives and are billed as the favourites. The same can’t be said for this time, as the Indians arrive in Dhaka as the overwhelming favourites. So, will this reduced pressure result in an improved and less nervy performance from the Proteas? One can only wait and see.

#3 Indian spin duo vs. Imran Tahir

Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra have bagged all the Man-of-the-Match awards in the 4 games that they have played, sharing 2 each. Employed well by Dhoni, they have been unplayable. He has bowled them in the death overs, and it has worked on almost all the occasions.

Imran Tahir, on the other hand, has been the unsung hero, often being overshadowed by the Steyn gun. His 4-21 saved South Africa from an embarrassing loss to the Dutch. The Indian batsmen tackled the likes of Saeed Ajmal and Sunil Narine with relative ease. The question though is will they be able to handle the witty Tahir? And how will the likes of Hashim Amla and Duminy handle the formidable attack comprising of Ashwin and Mishra? All these will have an impact on the outcome of the game.

#4 The Skippers

With Faf Du Plessis in doubt for the vital clash, AB de Villiers would have to take the captaincy mantle once again. MS Dhoni, on the other hand, has never lost a knock-out game in an ICC Tournament, be it in the Champions Trophy or the World Cups. Dhoni and his men would have done something incredible if they manage to keep this record intact by the end of the tournament.

Both the batsmen got decent runs when they had the opportunity: Dhoni finished it off against the hosts and helped rebuild the innings with Yuvraj, while De Villiers played a blitzkrieg against England to set up a thrilling win.

In my opinion, both these players bat too low to have an impact on the game. When Du Plessis is in the team, AB bats at 5, while Dhoni bats at 6 irrespective of what the team composition is. These two could be devastating at number 4, and stats will back this up. With Virat Kohli in ominous nick, it is important for Dhoni to bat higher. We know Raina and Yuvraj help in the left-right partnership, but it would be better if they batted one position lower. Yuvraj could be equally good at 5, and Raina is a brilliant finisher at 6.

#5 The \'Sir\' effect

With Yuvraj finding his touch against Australia, Ravindra Jadeja has probably been the most disappointing player this tournament. He hasn’t got much of a hit with the bat and has been below par with the ball by his standards. It’s about time that he stepped up in both departments. With South Africa’s pace attack, you can be sure that India’s lower order will be exposed. They will deploy the short ball against Yuvraj and Raina, and Steyn will no doubt try to trouble Rohit Sharma and try to turn him into 'No-hit' Sharma, just like he did when the Indians visited the Rainbow nation last year.

With the ball in hand, he will have to try and find a way through Hashim Amla, deal with the stroke making abilities of Quinton De Kock and Duminy and keep the class of De Villiers at bay. He will play a more pivotal role if India chase tomorrow. He may have to score a quick 15 off 5 in the end overs.

Even if he doesn’t bat and bowls only 2-3 overs, he will still have an impact in the game through his fielding. His bullet-arm and agility will be needed, especially if the chips are down and need inspiration. Tomorrow could be a big day for the all-rounder, and he could show us all once again why he is such an integral part of this unit.

For those of you playing the fantasy league, I recommend that you add him.