India vs South Africa: Only T20 - Match Preview - In a bid to regain form offshore, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 is set to play a one-off T20 International against South Africa at the New Wanderers Stadium Johannesburg on Friday, March 30, 2012.
Friday’s match might appear an insignificant T20 International for both outfits, but it provides the players on both sides an opportunity to get some practice ahead of the gruelling fifth edition of Indian Premier League, starting in Chennai next week.
Since winning the World Cup last year, India’s performances have been notoriously inconsistent, as they convincingly won their home series and faltered miserably in the away ones. Dhoni’s Men in Blue had a disastrous tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013, failing to win even
a single game across all the three formats last summer, but soon after the winless tour, they whitewashed the same English side in the five-match ODI series at home.
After whitewashing England, the reigning world champions had an impressive home series against the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746, and were unimpressive
in the One-Day leg of the tour, raising further questions regarding their performances abroad.
Since winning the World Cup at home in April last year, India has played 30 matches offshore across all three formats, winning only seven and losing 19, while one match was tied, two were drawn and one did not bear a result.
Historically India has dominated at home and struggled away from home. Hence, the Indian management is considering the one-off T20 against the Proteas as an opportunity to provide the youngsters an opportunity of playing abroad.
Whilst former cricketers and pundits are looking at the inconsequential T20 match between India and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 just days before IPL-5 as a formality that could have been avoided, the Indian skipper Mahindra Singh Dhoni has brushed aside the fatigue factor.
"I don't think fatigue will be a real factor,” Dhoni had said after the Men in Blue arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday. “We all enjoy playing the IPL ... that's one format where you are not representing your country, and the span of the tournament is slightly
longer, so you play quite a few games," he added further.
Whilst the hosts have decided to rest their triumphant yet exhausted squad that has recently returned from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747.
The Wanderers pitch traditionally favours batting, so it could be a good hunting place for the Indian batting line-up that includes the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028.
Johan Botha will be leading the South African outfit.
South Africa (probable) 1 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/LL-Tsotsobe-c1842
India (probable) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ashok-Dinda-c1098
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